


Shut The Fuck Up or I'll Kiss You

by Ninebubble



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Bisexual Male Character, Bottom Byun Baekhyun, Dirty Talk, Dumbass Kyungsoo, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Irritating Baekhyun, M/M, Minor TaeKai, Not a lot tho, Switching, Top Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Wholesome, annoyed Kyungsoo, but they are trying so hard ok, minor chenyeol, minor seho, minor taohun, minor xiuhan, supportive friendships, they are both dumb;, they're all switches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:15:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 106
Words: 73,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22925500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninebubble/pseuds/Ninebubble
Summary: Kyungsoo is not certain what he wants to do to Baekhyun but it definitely involves slamming him into the wall, one way or another.Baekhyun, on the other hand, gets way more than he bargained for when he decided to annoy the short hot guy with the grumpy expression.It's a weird way to start any kind of relationship, but maybe it's exactly what each of them needed.[University/College AU - Enemies to lovers]
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun & Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Huang Zi Tao | Z.Tao/Oh Sehun, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongin | Kai/Lee Taemin, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Oh Sehun, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Comments: 648
Kudos: 308





	1. Chapter 1

Kyungsoo stared at the spot on the other side of the cafeteria where _the enemy_ had chosen to sit down for his lunch. Lunch, for him, was apparently a popsicle and a can of soda, and that made Kyungsoo irrationally angry. He must have growled under his breath because Chanyeol's voice cut through his thoughts.

"Dude, are you ok ?"

"What ?" Kyungsoo tried to focus on Chanyeol, but the dumbass was now laughing as though he didn't have a care in the world. Insufferable.

"You just growled."

"That was my stomach."

"I can tell you're grinding your teeth."

"Mind your own business."

Chanyeol tossed a string bean at him. It landed in his hair and Kyungsoo growled for real this time.

"I'm _trying_ to get our assignment done, but I have to know how far you've got on your part first."

"Almost done," Kyungsoo lied. He'd looked at one wikipedia page last week.

Chanyeol looked surprised. "Really ? That's awesome. So what conclusion did you come to regarding the response of the early Church fathers to Tertullian's essay ?"

_The enemy_ was now engaged in an arm-wrestling match with one of his idiot friends. Poser.

"Kyungsoo ?"

"What ?"

Chanyeol sighed deeply. "You're not almost done, are you."

"Haven't started."

At that, Chanyeol groaned and laid his head on the dirty cafeteria table. "Professor Kim is going to kill us."

"Whatever," Kyungsoo replied, having not really listened to his friend's complaints. _The enemy_ had thrown his head back to laugh at something else. He couldn't take this anymore. It was just too distracting. He swung a leg over the bench, grabbed his backpack and rose. "I'm going home."

Another groan answered him, and Kyungsoo paused, full focus turned on Chanyeol, who was now chanting under his breath "We're going to die, we're going to die, we're. going. to. die."

"Dude, I'm sorry. I promise I'll get some work done tonight. Don't worry." He patted him on the back and left. Unfortunately the only way in or out of the cafeteria went right by The Table where _he_ was sitting.

"Hi Kyungsoo," called _The Unspeakable_ as Kyungsoo went by, a smirk on his dumb face.

Kyungsoo paused. He looked at the offensive features. He mustered the very deepest poison of his annoyance and put it into the single syllable, "Hi," and then he left, feeling that he had taught the idiot a lesson.

Baekhyun watched him go with a growing grin and the sense that somehow, Kyungsoo was warming up to him.

It's a good thing he wasn't a telepath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to whatever the fuck this is


	2. Chapter 2

"Here," Kyungsoo didn't bother to announce himself further, but he did throw a sheaf of papers onto Chanyeol's lap.

"What the fuck -"

"It's the assignment." He sat down opposite his friend and looked around the library. There were a few people diligently pretending to work. They wouldn't mind a whispered chat, Kyungsoo figured.

Chanyeol thumbed through the pages.

"This is.."

"The whole thing, all written up and everything."

Chanyeol looked up at him, wonder and worry mingling on his face. "Dude. Did you sleep last night ?"

Kyungsoo shrugged. "A little ? I think I got half an hour around 5am."

"Well.. I can't yell at you because this looks really good, but.."

"Hey Kyungsoo," a voice cut through his words. A voice that was not even trying to whisper.

With a withering glare, Kyungsoo turned to find Baekhyun grinning at him and brandishing a bag. No doubt a bag full of foul tricks and fiendish wiles.

"Want some cheetos ?"

"We're in the library."

"So ? No rule against library cheetos."

"Literally right behind you, dumbass."

Baekhyun turned, beheld the very obvious sign that read **[no food in the library]** and smirked, running a hand through his perfect hair. "What can I say, I'm a bit of an outlaw."

Kyungsoo growled.

"Um," began Chanyeol, looking from his friend to Baekhyun uncertainly, "That's great and all, but we're trying to get some work done."

"Say no more !" Baekhyun waved him off rather dramatically. "I'll leave you in peace. Nice seeing you, sugarcheeks," he called as he left.

Kyungsoo's pen snapped in half.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The other day I was at the library and there was a burping contest two tables over. 
> 
> 0/10. Very rude


	3. Chapter 3

Kyungsoo stared off into space, absentmindedly eating a subpar cafeteria sandwich. He hadn't been sleeping very much lately. Something was stressing him out, but he couldn't quite figure out what.

It was probably all _the enemy_ 's fault.

He sighed deeply and took another bite.

"What's eating you ?" Asked Jongin from across the table. He'd brought some homemade dish that looked way too yellow not to be curry. It smelled nice.

"I don't know," replied Kyungsoo shortly.

"You've been grumpy all week."

"Have I ?" He sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm not sleeping well."

Jongin nodded. "Insomnias again ?"

"Yeah.."

"Have you taken any meds ?"

"Don't want to." Kyungsoo gnawed at the edge of his sandwich. The bread's crust was way too hard for its interior, which had the consistency of a wet sponge.

Jongin gave him a serious look over his glasses. "Dude. If you need meds, take meds."

"I can take care of myself on my own."

"You can't anger yourself into sleeping."

"That's not a verb." Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at Jongin, who narrowed them right back.

"I don't give a shit. Stop being stupid about this or I'll get Junmyeon to do some of his weirdass energetic reiki stuff on you."

"Okay, okay, fine. I'll go to the pharmacy this afternoon."

And Kyungsoo was as good as his promise, although he didn't relish the thought of asking anyone for help. But he did need to sleep. The pharmacy was right between his flat and campus, fortunately, so he stopped there on his way home. The door tinkled warmly as he entered and walked up to the desk, where no one was waiting.

He drummed his fingers on the counter. The door tinkled again.

"Oh hi, Kyungsoo ! Fancy seeing you here !"

Kyungsoo froze. _Not him._

"What's your deal, then ?" Baekhyun said lightly. When Kyungsoo didn't answer, he immediately continued, "Buying laxatives, I bet."

"Of course I'm not buying laxatives," Kyungsoo exploded, turning to face _the enemy._ He was wearing a leather jacket and had his hair brushed up off his forehead. He looked amazing.

"Really ? You're always eating those gross cafeteria sandwiches. They're like bread on bread, no way you're not at least a little constipated."

"Oh my god," Kyungsoo whispered to himself, turning back to the counter and praying for anyone to come up and release him from this hell.

"I'm getting my prescription for ADHD," said Baekhyun, examining some shampoo bottles on the shelf. "It takes like four weeks to be effective, so if I run out I'm back to square one for a whole month."

Kyungsoo turned again, his curiosity piqued. "You have ADHD ?"

"No," Baekhyun grinned. "But seriously, what kind of dumb question is that ?"

Fortunately, the pharmacist appeared at this point and Kyungsoo proceeded to ignore Baekhyun, who really _was_ impossible to talk to. The dumbass's cheerful voice followed him as he left the shop, yelling something that sounded suspiciously like : "Happy poops dude !"

Kyungsoo growled to himself and thanked the stars for the sleep medication in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When in doubt, always assume your crush is constipated
> 
> ... actually no don't


	4. Chapter 4

The problem with the university library was that it had been built right next to the racing track. Some genius had figured it would be a great idea to put the history section right next to the windows that looked exactly over said track. And all of the tables in that section looked out over the track too.

Kyungsoo's eyes followed a running figure, lap after lap, his books entirely forgotten. The runner was wearing shorts and a big sweater, and some ridiculous headband to keep his ears warm. He looked stupid.

Kyungsoo kind of wanted to bite his calves, though. He bit his own lip instead and tried to pull himself back to the first Jesuit missions to Asia.

Out on the track, the running figure stopped right in front of Kyungsoo's window and waved wildly.

Was he.. was he waving at him ? Kyungsoo's ears flushed red.

To make things worse, at this distance he could just make out the smirk on _the enemy's_ face as he began to stretch, _right in front of Kyungsoo's fucking salad._

Calves glistening with sweat, Baekhyun leaned over, deeper and deeper. Kyungsoo stared.

This was impossible.

"Hi dude, sorry I'm late -" Chanyeol's voice cut through his lack of thoughts.

"I can't fucking take this anymore," Kyungsoo growled and rose, stuffing his books into his bag.

"Hey, you were late yesterday -" His friend looked hurt.

"I didn't - shit, sorry man. I wasn't talking about you." Kyungsoo sighed. "Let's go to the cafeteria, this place is just.. impossible."

With a shrug, Chanyeol followed him out. He didn't see Baekhyun, out on the race track, lunging as though his life depended on riling Kyungsoo up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact : the "Right in front of my salad" meme comes from a gay porn film


	5. Chapter 5

Lifting heavy stuff was the only thing that really cleared Kyungsoo's mind, so he'd started going to the gym with Chanyeol. He didn't like the environment much, but the distraction was welcome. Eventually he started going without Chanyeol, too. 

He grunted and pulled on the thingy attached to ropes attached to weights. Chanyeol kept telling him the machine's name, but if he was honest he didn't really care. In his mind it was the pully-ropey-weight thing and that was more than enough.

He'd done a fair amount of reps (Chanyeol got on his case about counting as well, which he didn't bother to do - he just kept going until he felt really tired) and sweat was trickling down the back of his gym shirt when he heard familiar footsteps.

_No. Not now._

A cheerful face appeared around the side of the machine.

"So... you lift, huh ?"

"Fuck off," growled Kyungsoo, resuming his work with the pully-ropey-weight thing, hoping that intense effort would be enough to make _the enemy_ disappear from his field of vision.

"How many reps are you doing ?"

"Don't know - don't care."

"Well do you need someone to spot you ?"

"Don't know what that means."

Baekhyun paused. "You know, to be honest neither do I. I don't really lift. I'm more of a runner."

"I know."

"Oh ho !" An air of glee appeared on Baekhyun's features and Kyungsoo groaned internally. He hadn't meant to say that. "So that _was_ you staring at me from the library the other day."

Kyungsoo paused and caught his breath. "If you don't lift, what are you doing here ?"

Baekhyun gave him a twinkling look that hid more mischief than was good for anyone. "You could say I'm looking for opportunity."

And with that, he turned abruptly and walked away. Kyungsoo watched him go, then gave himself a shake and returned to the machine, determined not to think about the enemy's ass, no matter how good it looked in those sweatpants. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baekhyun appreciation corner
> 
> hot damn he is one gorgeous bean
> 
> if you need a particular look for this fic, I imagine him like he is in the UN village mv


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm telling you, man," Chanyeol shook his head as he watched Jongdae attempt to wrestle a bag of candy open, "It's fucking weird."

"I don't even know why Kyungsoo hates Baekhyun so much in the first place."

"I know. It doesn't make sense. They don't hang out enough to hate each other."

"That's the thing though," Jongdae handed the unopen bag to Chanyeol with a defeated air, "I don't think Baekhyun hates Kyungsoo at all. He just gets a kick out of annoying him."

Chanyeol ripped the bag open and candy went flying everywhere. "I mean, I get _that._ But I've never known Kyungsoo to be so easily annoyed."

Jongdae raised an eyebrow at him from under the desk, where he had crouched down to collect the candy.

"I know he's a little short-tempered," admitted Chanyeol, "But I've never heard him actually growl at anyone before."

"He growls ?"

"Like, half of his dialog tags are 'growled Kyungsoo'."

"Okay, see," Jongdae started, then bumped his head into the desk as he tried to extract himself from its depths, " _ow -_ See, the thing is that I sometimes get the impression that Kyungsoo's, like.. undressing him. With his eyes."

"That's impossible."

"I know." Jongdae popped a piece of floor candy into his mouth and stared off into space.

"I wish they'd just get along," sighed Chanyeol after a pause.

"Does Kyungsoo know _we're_ friends ?"

"Um.. no."

Jongdae laughed. "Are you scared of him ?"

"Well, does Baekhyun know ?" Asked Chanyeol, sidestepping his friend's question.

"No," Jongdae shrugged, "But that's because I'd never hear the end of it."

"D'you know what it reminds me of ?" Chanyeol leaned back in his desk chair.

"What ?"

"It reminds of Draco Malfoy being obsessed with Harry Potter. Except both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun are Draco."

Jongdae rolled onto his back on the floor and laughed. "What a couple of dumbasses."

Chanyeol nodded wisely, then turned to his computer. "Wanna play TF2 ?"

"You know it," Jongdae sat up and grinned at his friend. "Maybe Jongin's online. Let's kick his ass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what even is this chapter
> 
> then again
> 
> what even this fic in the first place


	7. Chapter 7

Contrary to popular belief around campus, Kyungsoo actually did like parties. Sure, he was a generally quiet person, but that didn't mean he couldn't find enjoyment in watching other people do stupid stuff while under the influence. He figured the reason why everyone had decided he was a party-hater was because he didn't attend them during exams, out of a sense of self-preservation. He was already sleep deprived most of the time, if he went to exams hungover on top of that he'd tank his perfect GPA.

He took a swig from the solo cup Chanyeol had handed him and watched said tall idiot beat someone at beer pong and do a very silly dance as a result. There was something about his opponent's eyes that made Kyungsoo stick around to watch the rematch.

"Kyungsoo," called Chanyeol from the table, "Wanna play ? I'll carry -"

"Hey now," said the opponent lightly, looking way too sober for the amount of alcohol he'd drunk as a result of the game, "If you get a teammate so do I." Kyungsoo squinted at him. He'd seen him around campus before but couldn't quite place his face. He had these very distinctive eyes that made him look like a cat, and the build of a diminutive viking. He looked like the sort of person you'd remember, but Kyungsoo was shit at faces.

"I don't want -" Kyungsoo started, but Chanyeol cut in.

"C'mon ! We could be great, Kyungsoo... we could be the BALL BOYS -"

"Now I'm definitely not playing."

"BALL BOYS !!!" Came a yell from the doorway. Kyungsoo knew even before looking who was standing there, and he remembered all of a sudden who the opponent was. Kim Minseok, graduate student and head of Performance Club, whose star member was none other than..

"Byun Baekhyun," growled Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun detached himself from the door's frame and came forth with a dangerously langorous walk. He looked pretty toasted. This would be a good chance to make him eat the dust he was born from.

"You're on," Kyungsoo turned to Chanyeol and nodded very intensely. He was probably a little toasted as well, but not _too_ toasted to crush Baekhyun.

Baekhyun slung himself on Minseok's shoulder and Kyungsoo remembered, once again all of a sudden, that they'd been sort of an item last semester. They definitely looked good together. He narrowed his eyes at them both in annoyance.

"What do you say, Seokkie, can we beat these dorks ?"

Minseok gave them a look then grinned. It was simultaneously very cute and rather terrifying. "Yeah man. You and I are unstoppable."

"Kyungsoo," said Chanyeol, handing him the ball, an aura of intense focus radiating from his features, "You serve first."

"You got it," he replied, taking the ball and approaching the table. That was when he remembered he'd left his glasses at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer : Byun Baekhyun is made of nothing but starlight and sparkles


	8. Chapter 8

"I want a rematch," slurred Kyungsoo. They'd been beaten twice. Baekhyun was way less drunk than he looked, or just way better at doing stuff while drunk than either Kyungsoo or Chanyeol. As for Minseok, the ungodly amounts of vodka he'd consumed seemed to have absolutely no effect on him.

"This is getting boring," replied Minseok lightly. "But if you want to get crushed into oblivion again, I guess we can oblige -"

"What about we make it more interesting ?" Baekhyun grinned.

Chanyeol leaned forward onto the table. "What'reya thinkin ?"

"We could make a wager on the outcome of this game."

Kyungsoo didn't like where this was going.

"If you win, me and Minseok'll recognize your total supremacy over us at the great game of beer pong."

Chanyeol nodded, evidently pleased at the prospect of flattery.

Baekhyun's grin grew. "And if we win... I get seven minutes in heaven with Kyungsoo."

Everyone stared at him, including the three girls on the couch who had been paying no attention to them whatsoever up until then. He shrugged, "What can I say, I like a challenge."

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at him. What was this new devilry...

"Kyungsoo," Chanyeol said quietly, "'S okay, we can walk away. No one will think any less of us -"

"I will," said one of the couch girls, and Chanyeol glared at her.

"No," replied Kyungsoo, eyes fixed on Baekhyun who had now raised one perfect eyebrow in challenge. "We can win this one. But the wager's not fair -"

"What are you thinking ?"

"If we win, you'll be at our service for a week."

"That would be my pleasure," said Baekhyun sultrily, to Kyungsoo's annoyance. What was the point in winning a bet if the person who lost enjoyed their punishment.

It was thus fortunate, perhaps, that Kyungsoo and Chanyeol lost that game too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyungsoo definitely has no clue what is going on


	9. Chapter 9

Baekhyun insisted they find a closet instead of just settling for an empty room like a reasonable adult. And so they were now sitting on the floor of said closet, crowded around by winter coats, sitting very close to each other while the sounds of the party kept going outside. At this distance, Baekhyun smelled like alcohol and something sweet. His eyes were bright in the darkness, but his expression was serious. 

"Okay," sighed Kyungsoo, "you won." He leaned forward, screwed his eyes shut and pursed his lips.

To his surprise, he felt a gentle hand pushing him back.

"We don't have to make out."

That was unexpected.

"I could just suck you off instead -"

_Of fucking course_.

"I'm joking. It's only fun if you want it too."

How unexpectedly decent of the enemy. This thought must have registered on his face, because Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

"I may be annoying but I'm not a rapist."

"I didn't -"

"Oh, come on. I know you think I'm the worst thing to have happened to this university."

Oh no. Kyungsoo was way too drunk for this. He wasn't even good at it when he was sober !

"As much as it amuses me to rile you up, I _would_ like to know -"

In a panic, faced with the prospect of talking about his feelings, Kyungsoo lunged forward and kissed Baekhyun.

There was barely a hint of answering surprise as Baekhyun immediately put his hands on Kyungsoo's arms to steady him and leaned his head sideways a little to accomodate the kiss.

It was messy and sloppy, and nowhere near the best kiss Kyungsoo had ever given but..

_It felt amazing._

Forgetting who he was kissing, he let himself melt forward into the warmth. He wanted to bring a hand up to cup Baekhyun's face, but he needed both hands to hold his weight up or he'd crush him with his body.

A loud knock came at the door and Chanyeol's voice cut through the haze. "Okay, seven minutes are up ! You're free."

Kyungsoo rocked himself back, staring at Baekhyun silently. Baekhyun looked surprised and his cheeks were flushed. He bit his lower lip, drawing Kyungsoo's eyes down.

Then, incapable of dealing with any Baekhyun-related emotion, he leapt up, burst out of the closet and ran out of the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was weird


	10. Chapter 10

Fortunately, no one seemed really inclined to pry into Kyungsoo's concerns when he looked like a stormcloud, so Chanyeol let him alone about the party for most of the following week. Jongin was the only one who showed absolutely no fear, but they had no classes together this semester and Kyungsoo was very good at dodging people.

Or so he thought.

"Dude !" Came from across the hall of the International Politics building, causing Kyungsoo to cringe. He knew that tone.

He turned to find Jongin striding over, looking perfectly groomed and expensive as usual, carrying three books under his arm and with a determined glint in the eyes that his spectacles couldn't really hide.

"Hi," mumbled Kyungsoo.

"You've been avoiding me." There was no bite to Jongin's voice, but a sort of inevitability that reminded one of Thanos.

"... Yeah, sort of."

"Let's have lunch together."

"... Okay."

Jongin didn't say anything more until they were sitting at a corner table, half hidden from view by a gigantic pillar. He had ordered for the two of them, and Kyungsoo gave a suspicious look to the big plate of mixed salad before him.

"It's just salad, Kyungsoo."

"That's what I'm worried about."

"So what's the problem this time ?"

Kyungsoo poked at a piece of cucumber. "There isn't a problem ?"

"You always start to avoid me when something's bothering you."

"I kissed someone."

"Was it Chanyeol ?"

"What ?! No ! Why would I -"

"I don't know man, I could ship it. You'd be cute together."

"I didn't kiss Chanyeol, jesus !" Kyungsoo realized suddenly that he was speaking very loudly. He looked around the cafeteria, hoping that no one had heard, and caught Baekhyun staring straight at him. His expression was unreadable, and Kyungsoo slumped into his seat, feeling strangely defeated.

"Look, Jongin.. I appreciate your concern but I don't really want to talk about it for the moment."

Jongin raised an eyebrow.

"When I'm ready, I'll talk to you.. but in my own time."

There was a short silence, and Jongin finally nodded. "That's fair. But no more being a gremlin and avoiding me, alright ?"

Kyungsoo smiled weakly. "Okay."

Jongin smiled back, and Kyungsoo straightened, returning his attention to his salad with a sense of greater calm than he had had that whole week. He made sure to avoid looking in Baekhyun's general direction, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Supportive friendships yo.


	11. Chapter 11

Baekhyun chewed his lip thoughtfully. He was supposed to be working on something, and the frequent Jongdae-sighs coming from his right side were an indication that his friend _was_ being productive instead of staring into space.

But something was bothering Baekhyun.

_Where was Kyungsoo ?_

Ever since the previous semester, when they'd had that fateful class together, Baekhyun's focus had shifted to him. There seemed to be at least one of his braincells aware of Kyungsoo's whereabouts at all times.

Of course, Baekhyun would have never phrased it that way until very recently. In fact, until the kiss in the closet, he had maintained to every single person of his acquaintance that he was just amusing himself by annoying the other.

But since the closet.. It felt different.

Mostly, he just wanted to talk to Kyungsoo and figure out what the fuck happened and how to please make it happen again. He absent-mindedly brushed a finger over his lips.

"How's your essay coming along ?" Jongdae interrupted his thoughts.

"Great," he replied, not meeting Jongdae's eyes.

"I can tell you're lying."

"I never lie."

Jongdae leaned over dangerously, tottering in his chair to get a look at Baekhyun's blank computer screen.

"I knew it, you fucking noodle."

Baekhyun turned to look at him. "Did you just call me a noodle ?"

Jongdae flicked a empty candy wrapper towards his face. "Did you just spend three hours pretending to work while daydreaming about the tiny angry man who makes your dick hard ?"

"You know me too well," Baekhyun answered with a grin.

"That," said his friend, returning to his own work, "is definitely true."

After chewing his lip for a split second longer, Baekhyun made his decision. He got up quickly and left, with a quick "I'll be right back" to Jongdae, who rolled his eyes in return.

Baekhyun knew without even having to look.

Kyungsoo had to be somewhere on campus. He was a nerd. That's what nerds did. Hang around the campus and wait for knowledge to grace their nerdy brains.

Baekhyun skipped down the library steps and headed for the sports complex. He'd seen Kyungsoo there before, lifting weights in a way that suggested he was probably ripped under the baggy clothes he generally wore.

Baekhyun had seen him in tight jeans just once. That had been a good day. He'd gotten a pencil case thrown at his head for his comment about Kyungsoo's ass but it had been worth it.

As he was walking past the student lounge, a long, low-ceilinged room decorated with the graffiti of students past and furnished with have a dozen grubby couches, he noticed a familiar black hoody slumped on one of the couches, face pressed against the window, fast asleep. Elated at having found him so easily, Baekhyun headed for the lounge's door.

There was no one else in there but Kyungsoo, looking tiny with his legs gathered to him in order to stay warm. He was hugging his backpack to his chest and looked impossibly adorable.

An urge to poke his cheeks came over Baekhyun, but he stayed where he was, a few feet away. The dark circles were plainly visible under Kyungsoo's eyes. He was clearly exhausted. His insomnia must be kicking up again.

In his sleep, Kyungsoo shuddered a little and hugged his backpack closer. So Baekhyun did the only reasonable thing : he shrugged off his own jacket and draped it delicately over Kyungsoo.

Then, pleased with himself, he ran back to the library and finally got some fucking work done.


	12. Chapter 12

February was nice. There were parties every week and Kyungsoo didn't feel guilty at all about attending them because he'd aced his finals and midterms were years away. He avoided beer pong rather thoroughly but he'd never really enjoyed the game in the first place, and Chanyeol didn't push him. It was more fun to play whatever kid's board game they found under a couch, or watch Junmyeon put the moves on some tall lanky sophomore from the biology department with very dark eyebrows and an amused expression.

This party was more of a dancing one, with loud music pumping throughout the whole first floor. The bass felt amazing in Kyungsoo's drunken fingertips and he let Jongin pull him out into the open.

He wasn't an avid dancer but he'd learned a few things from Jongin. There was something intoxicating about the way everything blurred out when they were dancing together. His usual need for personal space disappeared and he lost himself to the feeling of bodies pressed around them, and Jongin in front of him, and the waves of sound pulsing through them both.

He raised his face and let the delight of dancing wash over him. Jongin leaned in and breathed something in his ear, causing him to open his eyes. He immediately noticed the cute guy a couple feet away, dancing so languidly Kyungsoo could feel the sex radiating off him, eyes fixed on Jongin.

Kyungsoo grinned back at Jongin and nodded, and his friend disappeared with a grateful smile. It didn't matter. Kyungsoo was right where he wanted to be. He closed his eyes again, letting the music mix with the alcohol in his veins.

It was both an instant and an eternity before he felt a hand lightly settle over his hip then leave, an uncertain touch that seemed to ask for permission. His eyes flew open and he found Baekhyun there in front of him, dancing and trying to look nonchalant. He was gorgeous. His hair was messy and his eyes heavy, lined with sparkling kohl. His tshirt hung too low over his collarbones and disappeared into skintight pants.

He raised an eyebrow at Kyungsoo and offered him a red solo cup. Without hesitating, Kyungsoo took it and drank. Baekhyun grinned and settled both hands on the other's hips, syncing their rhythms together into one slow grind.

Every movement brought them closer and Kyungsoo soon found himself so close to Baekhyun he could have bit his collarbone. Instead he turned his face to breathe lightly on his neck, and felt the shiver run through the other's body. Curious, he leaned a fraction of an inch further and kissed.

Baekhyun's moan was lost to the music, but he leaned his head to the side allowing Kyungsoo to kiss his neck again a little higher as he wrapped an arm around his waist.

Breathing ragged from his kisses, Baekhyun lowered his chin again and they found each other pressed together, forehead to forehead, in the crowd of bodies that seemed a million light years away from them both, moving to a new, heavier rhythm.

Kyungsoo could have stayed that way forever, letting everything dissolve around them. But at the end of the song, Baekhyun leaned to whisper into his ear a breathless "Thanks". Then, with a wink, he detached himself and left the room.

There were fewer bodies dancing, and many couples making out on various surfaces. They'd reached that part of the night. Chanyeol appeared to his right. His hair was ruffled up and his face red. He'd been having fun too.

"Dude, Junmyeon says he's leaving now if we want a lift home."

Downing the rest of his solo cup, Kyungsoo grabbed his jacket and followed him, every inch of his body still on fire.


	13. Chapter 13

"Nice jacket, Soo," said Jongin abruptly as they were walking through the campus.

"Thanks."

"It's nice to see you wear anything but a black hoody again."

"Huh ?"

Jongin shrugged. "I guess you've seemed a little down these past months. You've been putting less effort into your appearance."

Kyungsoo pondered this.

"I know the breakup with Jihyo was rough on you. It's nice to see getting back to normal."

Kyungsoo pondered this too. He didn't really trust himself to answer, but Jongin let the silence linger and he eventually cleared his voice to say :

"Thanks.. for noticing, I guess."

Jongin gave him a quick smile and changed the subject, tugging at Kyungsoo's sleeve. "So where'd you get this one ?"

"Found it, actually. I fell asleep in the student lounge the other day and when I woke up someone had put it over me."

Jongin stopped in his tracks. "Wait so - you have no idea who it belonged to ?"

"None," replied Kyungsoo with a shrug. "But it was clean, and it smells nice."

His friend circled him, examining the jacket. It was a teddy smith type, blue with white arms, in shining fabric like silk, with an embroidered tiger's face on the back.

"Hmm. A little flashy, isn't it ?"

"I guess. I figure whoever it belongs to will notice it pretty easily, if they want it back."

They resumed walking, and Kyungsoo added quietly, "It does feel nice to think about how I dress.. a little more."

Jongin bumped his shoulder. "Now all we need is to get you a rebound buddy."

The party flashed through Kyungsoo's mind. Baekhyun's body against his. The kisses. The moans. Moving together to one rhythm. He shivered a little. "I guess."

"Do you have anyone in mind ?"

"No," he answered quickly.

"What about the person you kissed the other day ?"

"That was.. a mistake." But it had felt so good. "I was drunk, and I regret doing it." Maybe he regretted not doing it again. "I don't even like the guy." He _hated_ the guy.

After a short pause, Jongin asked, "Is it the first time you've kissed a guy ?"

"No." First time he'd danced like that with one though. Jongin didn't count. There was no tension with him whatsoever. With Baekhyun it was all tension.

"You dog, you," Jongin smirked.

"Me ? You're the campus slut."

"Speaking of which, I have a date later."

"The guy from the party ?"

Jongin's face broke into a beautiful smile. "His name's Taemin."

"Must be pretty serious if you're going on a date," said Kyungsoo. Jongin didn't often go on dates. He was business-like in all aspects of his life.

His friend's expression turned serious. "I think.. I think it could be."

"Let me know if you need to be saved again. I kind of like pretending to be your angry ex."

"Thanks." They reached the building where Jongin had a class and Kyungsoo waved him off before rushing to meet Chanyeol, who was waiting by their classroom with some donuts and a cheerful grin.

Kyungsoo gave him a quick hug as a thank you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half of this fic is my bored ass needing some tension and the other half is just my endless love for chill & supportive friendships.


	14. Chapter 14

Kyungsoo smiled when he spotted Jongin and Chanyeol at a table together, waving at him. The sun was shining through the high windows. There weren't many people so it was pleasantly quiet. Today was a good day. Even the cafeteria sandwiches looked better than usual.

"I like your outfit," said Jongin as Kyungsoo sat down next to him.

He was wearing a soft green sweater and the black pants that made his ass looked good enough to cause Baekhyun to comment. He hadn't worn them since the last time, but today had felt like an ass-out kind of day when he was getting dressed.

"Thanks," he replied with a smile and set about unwrapping his lunch.

"I've been thinking about our project for the literature class -" Started Chanyeol.

Jongin, eating his homemade lasagna more delicately than Kyungsoo thought possible, interrupted him. "You guys are taking literature ?"

"Medieval lit, it's mandatory for this semester. The professor said something about giving history some context."

"That makes sense."

"So what I was thinking was -"

"Hey hot stuff." Kyungsoo looked up to find Baekhyun standing by their table and Chanyeol looking very grumpy at having been interrupted again.

"What do you want ?"

"I like your sweater. Green's a good colour on you," Baekhyun smiled.

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at him. _What was he up to now -_

"I bet it's not just dark shades of green that make you look good." He leaned forward, one hand on the table, smile widening into a grin.

_This was definitely a trap._

"You know, my sheets are green."

Jongin, whose space was being invaded by the enemy, raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to get into Kyungsoo's pants ?"

"Get them off, more like. There isn't room for much more in his pants at the moment."

"Oh dear god," mumbled Kyungsoo, blushing.

"I was wondering when you'd wear those again," continued the offender, "They really do make your ass the fifth wonder of the world."

To Kyungsoo's horror, both Jongin and Chanyeol looked like they were fighting back smiles. And Baekhyun was still -

"I mean, your ass is the fifth wonder of the world with or without the pants, to be fair. I just wanna get in there and _bite,_ y'know ?"

"Byun," growled Kyungsoo, "Go away or I will kick your ass so hard your mom will feel it."

"Anything for you, sweet cheeks." And with a wink, he was gone.

A stunned silence followed his departure. Jongin and Chanyeol were very pointedly avoiding anyone's eye, and Kyungsoo did his best to pretend like nothing had happened.

"That guy's a bit intense, isn't he ?" Asked Jongin lightly after a minute.

Kyungsoo grunted, hoping that would be enough to convey the depth of his hatred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ass-out kinda days are good days 
> 
> Not always but every now and then yeh


	15. Chapter 15

"I need to show you something - found it on youtube at like two in the morning," Chanyeol mumbled as he typed something quickly. They were in his room in the small flat he shared with some older dude named Heechul.

"Why is it," pondered Kyungsoo from the foot of the bed, "that the weird shit only gets suggested at 2am ?"

"I know ! But this is actually good, you'll see."

Kyungsoo was not as into as metal as Chanyeol was, but he dabbled. He dabbled in a lot of things. Sometimes he kind of wished he had a specific _thing_ , like Jongin with dancing or Chanyeol with music. He liked a lot of things, but the only ones he really _loved_ doing were sleeping and eating.

"You do have a thing, though," said Chanyeol from behind his computer.

"What's that ?"

"You're the angry man."

"I'm the - what ?"

Chanyeol grinned. "The angry man. You growl all the time !"

"Do I ? Fuck."

"Why ? I think it's cool. You're scary."

Kyungsoo frowned. "I don't want to be scary." Chanyeol raised an eyebrow at him and he corrected himself. "I mean, scary - sure, why not. It comes in handy. But do people really think of me as the angry one ?"

Chanyeol shrugged. "I don't know man.. Yeah, I think some people do."

"But I'm not -"

The intercom rang, and Chanyeol put his computer down on the bed.

"Are you expecting someone ?"

Chanyeol didn't quite meet his eye. "Uh, sort of." He rang the visitor in, cracked the door open and returned to the bed.

"I don't want people to think of me as angry," Kyungsoo said with a hint of a pout.

  
Just then, quick steps came to them and the door opened, revealing -

"Jongdae !" Chanyeol greeted him. One of the enemy's idiot friends. Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes.

Jongdae grinned at him. "You must be Kyungsoo." Before Kyungsoo could reply, he produced a tupperware with a flourish. "I bring these cookies as a peace offering."

Tentatively, Kyungsoo took one of the cookies and bit into it. It was very tasty, and he felt himself soften a little. Jongdae looked less determined to make his life hell than Baekhyun.

"Here it is !" Said Chanyeol excitedly, having located the video he was looking for.

It turned out to be a weird mix of dubstep and bagpipes, so uniquely awful that Kyungsoo could see his own expression of disbelief mirrored on Jongdae's features. By the end of the song, they were bonded in the pain and misery of the noise Chanyeol was so excited about.

"You.. didn't like it ?" He asked when they stayed silent, staring at him.

"No - I - It was - It was really interesting -," said Kyungsoo, speaking at the same time as Jongdae :

"It was great dude."

So they agreed on two things at least : 1. Chanyeol had very weird taste in music and 2. nothing was worth seeing Chanyeol make his kicked puppy face.

Kyungsoo had built friendships on thinner ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : bagstep is a valid genre of music, I just needed something kind of niche and unexpected. Love what you love, no shade to anyone.


	16. Chapter 16

It was late morning when Kyungsoo woke up to his phone ringing. He groaned, blinked, groaned again and in a stupor, shambled out of bed to find the offensive object.

"Urgh," he said, holding the phone up to his ear and shielding himself from the shaft of sunlight hitting his face.

"Dude, where are you ?" Chanyeol's voice was high and panicky.

"Home."

"Did you just wake up ?!"

"Yuh."

"Dude !! We had a final at 9am !"

Kyungsoo's insides clenched. "What ?"

"You missed the astrophysics final !"

_Oh no. He'd missed the astrophysics final. It was mandatory for graduation !_

Just then, the door opened and Baekhyun came in, topless, with his usual grin. "It's okay, hot stuff. You don't need a degree to get on in the world. With an _ass_ like yours..."

He came closer to slap said ass, and Kyungsoo felt like he was about to cry. He couldn't seem to get out of the sunlight. "STOP!" He yelled, and Baekhyun, now naked, paused with a look of surprise.

"Stop with my ass - Just please stop."

Like a snake, Baekhyun came closer, too close. "Why ?"

"It's - too much sun - I can't hide -"

The shaft of sunlight on his face grew stronger, hotter, and he thought he was going to melt. Baekhyun was dripping golden sweat onto his carpet and his grin kept growing wider.

Just then, a door banged open somewhere in the flat causing Kyungsoo to jerk awake, heaving. Junmyeon was singing a song from some musical production. He must have just returned from his run, so it was definitely not past 8 o'clock.

Kyungsoo sat up in his bed, trying to catch his breath and rid himself of the weirdness of his dream. Dream-Baekhyun had had weird pointy teeth and that was creepy. On the other hand, he'd also been _naked,_ Kyungsoo suddenly remembered.

"Oh fuck.." he mumbled to himself, realising that he was harder than he'd been in a while.

"Fuck," he repeated, thrusting a hand into his boxers. He came in seconds, and sat there panting.

This was going to be a weird day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weird dreams that also make you horny are just.... weird
> 
> Also I have had so many you-missed-a-final dream it's not even funny. Once I dreamed I got such a bad grade I was kicked out of university.


	17. Chapter 17

"Kyungsoo !" A familiar voice called from behind him as he was walking home from class. Kyungsoo sighed. After the weird dream from the other day, he wasn't sure if he was entirely ready for this.

"What do you want Byun ?" He growled as said Byun Baekhyun caught up to him with a cheerful bouncy step.

"I like your jacket."

"If you're going to say it would look better on your floor -"

"It would ! But no, I wasn't going to say that." Baekhyun smiled at him, not his usual snarky grin but a softer smile. To Kyungsoo's continued surprise, Baekhyun didn't say anything more and they walked in silence in the sunshine for a little bit.

"Picked you these," he said all of a sudden, handing Kyungsoo a bouquet of yellow and purple primroses.

"... Thanks ?" Kyungsoo took them tentatively. This absolutely had to be some sort of dastardly trap, meant to make him blush or squirm, or to allow Baekhyun to try and slap his ass.

But the enemy just replied with a smile, thrust his hands into his pockets and began to whistle.

Kyungsoo wasn't exactly certain what to do with the flowers. He narrowed his eyes at Baekhyun, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on in his brain. But Baekhyun looked relaxed and less mischievous than usual. He was just enjoying a walk in the early spring sunshine.

Eventually, they reached a side street and Baekhyun gestured. "I live down here."

"Okay."

A hint of the grin returned. "Wanna come over ?"

"No."

"You sure ?" His voice lowered seductively. "I make one _mean_ cup of coffee."

"I bet you overbrew it."

"Oh no," Baekhyun came a step closer, voice still dangerously low. "I brew it _just right_." He was so close Kyungsoo could count his eyelashes. "I use the best beans.. I _grind_ them real nice and _slow_.." Kyungsoo could feel the enemy's breath tickling his neck. "Then I unfold my chemex filter.." His heartbeat seemed to have slowed down, and somehow he could feel it in his cheeks. He closed his eyes. Baekhyun was hovering so close to his ear, his voice barely a whisper, "And when I _pour_ the hot water gently over that sexy ground guatemalan coffee.. let me tell you babe.. it makes the best _fucking_ cup of coffee you've ever tasted."

He took a step back and Kyungsoo's eyes flew open. He realized he was trembling a little. Baekhyun smiled at him again and, with a wave, he was off down the street.

Kyungsoo stood a moment looking after him, trying to collect himself. Then, in a fit of irritation, he threw the bouquet of primroses at the enemy's retreating back.

He was strangely relieved, when he got home, to find that one flower had stuck to his jacket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is possibly the dumbest thing I've ever written


	18. Chapter 18

"Here ya go," said Yixing softly, passing a delicately rolled blunt to Baekhyun, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor, playing with the plush alpaca that Yixing and Jongdae considered the guardian spirit of their apartment.

"Thanks."

Yixing was lying on the couch and staring up at the ceiling, vaguely forlorn. Weed sometimes made him melancholic. He gave a deep sigh and Baekhyun looked up at him, in the middle of his drag.

"What's up ?" Asked Baekhyun quietly, leaning over to lay the alpaca on Yixing's chest.

Yixing pouted and hugged the alpaca to his chest. "I miss Sunhee."

"Dude, you guys broke up years ago."

"I know. I just.. always kind of miss her in March."

Baekhyun nodded.

"I think it's the freshness in the air. It reminds of the first time I walked her home. We kissed under a cherry tree - thanks," he took the blunt from Baekhyun's outstretched hand. "D'you know what I mean ?"

"Yeah.. yeah," Baekhyun nodded, a bitter feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. He knew this path. He knew where it would lead. He gave himself a shake and tried to make a joke. "I still can't go to Taco Bell because I got dumped there. I sometimes have dreams about their burrito supreme." He tried to laugh but it sounded hollow.

Yixing didn't laugh or smile. He turned to give him a long searching long, and Baekhyun suddenly felt very small and very lonely. He refused the blunt when Yixing offered it. If he was already starting to be teary, it was probably best to stop now.

His friend seemed to understand, and retracted his hand to take another long drag.

The smoke billowed up above them, and they both lost their gazes in the swirls. Baekhyun let himself fall onto his back. On the couch, Yixing gave a tiny sigh.

"Love, man." He said quietly. "It fucks us up."

Everything felt firmer with his back on the floor, but the crawling feeling in the pit of his stomach didn't leave.

"I wish I could only use my heart for practical things." Baekhyun turned to look at him, and he added, "Like food you know ? Or friends."

At this crucial juncture, the door banged open and Jongdae entered, bearing the pizzas he'd gone out to buy half an hour ago.

"That's a sign from the heavens," said Yixing, slowly rising off the couch. "From now on I'm devoting my life to food."

"You guys could have waited for me," frowned Jongdae, putting the pizzas on the living room table.

Overcome with the need for physical contact, Baekhyun walked to his friend and latched onto his back.

Jongdae laughed. "Oh no ! The weed is making Baekkie cuddly."

"Baekkie's always cuddly," said Yixing with a smile, coming closer to join the cuddle pile. Baekhyun sighed into the warmth and focused on the smell of pizza and slowly, the claws gripping his stomach unclenched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My son.. Baekkie. He is not entirely okay. :(


	19. Chapter 19

It was a very nice lunch with Jongin and Chanyeol until Kyungsoo began to choke on his soda. It wasn't his fault - it was, as usual, _the enemy'_ s doing. He was walking past the cafeteria, out in the sun. Kyungsoo's eyes had been idly following him. He had on a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up and his forearms were just nice to look at.

And then he'd turned to look behind him, revealing to anyone in the cafeteria who may be paying attention (ie. just Kyungsoo) that he was wearing absolutely nothing under the plaid shirt.

"Jesus dude," said Chanyeol handing him a napkin as the coughing subsided. 

"Thanks," he mumbled, voice still weak from coughing, taking the napkin to dab at himself. There were some dark spots on his fancy blue and white jacket from the student lounge.

"You know you're not supposed to inhale coke right ?"

"Ha-ha."

Jongin gave him a pat on the back. "But seriously, are you ok ?"

"Yeah I'm - fine - Did you see that ??"

"See what ?"

"That dumbass - walking around with no shirt on ? You didn't see ?"

Jongin arched an eyebrow. "No ? Who're you talking about ?"

"The _enemy_ \- that Byun guy. The horrible one."

Chanyeol looked around at where the offender had been standing just moments prior. He'd now disappeared, of course, because his life's purpose was to make Kyungsoo look like an idiot.

"He was walking around shirtless, just a minute ago !"

They both raised their eyebrows at him and Kyungsoo groaned. This was just terrible. Jacket : wrecked. Lunch : ruined. Day : awful. Life : NO.

"So is he ripped or something ?" Enquired Jongin lightly.

"That's not the point. It's about the disrespect -"

"Did his nipples insult you ?" Chanyeol grinned.

"If I have to go around wearing a shirt then so does he -"

"You don't _have_ to, though. You could go shirtless too," Jongin pointed out.

Chanyeol immediately wolf-whistled.

Just as Kyungsoo was about to yell at him, Jongin tugged his sleeve. "Don't you have a class in five minutes ?"

"Oh shit. This," he glared at Chanyeol, "is not over."

He gathered his things and left the cafeteria with only the smallest of waves at his friends, who were being very unhelpful today. But as he was about to reach the building where his elective drawing class was held, he spotted the same plaid shirt entering the gym. After a moment's hesitation, he veered off towards the gym, following Baekhyun's footsteps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angery boi <3 
> 
> Baekhyun is gonna get a talking to


	20. Chapter 20

Baekhyun was changing in one of the lockerrooms, shirt already off, when Kyungsoo entered soundlessly. He was gorgeous from behind. His back muscles rippled under his skin as he bent over his gym bag, rummaging for something. He was humming to himself, and Kyungsoo hated hummers. He hated whistlers too.

But Baekhyun was humming _Riptide_ , and that happened to be his favourite song. Contradictory emotions were wrestling with each other in his chest, so he solved them by barking :

"What the fuck, Byun ?"

Baekhyun jumped out of his skin and sent his phone, which he'd been holding in his left hand, flying across the room.

Kyungsoo stood and glared at him.

"What the FUCK, Kyungsoo ?" Baekhyun panted, a hand on his (very nice) pectoral muscle. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack ?"

"That would be an acceptable side-effect but -"

"Hang on. Where d'my phone go ?"

"I don't care -"

But Baekhyun was already on all fours, pawing around the floor. Kyungsoo frowned at him. What was he playing at ? The phone was right by the bench, mere feet away from Baekhyun's groping hands.

"What are you doing ?"

"I can't see shit. I already took my contacts out !"

"... You're near-sighted ?"

"Near-sighted, far-sighted, colourblind. Dude, name a vision impairment and I probably have it."

Kyungsoo shifted slightly, feeling like an asshole. "I thought you just wore glasses to look cool."

Baekhyun looked up at him. "I wear glasses because I literally cannot see a thing unless it's two feet away from my face, or I'm wearing contacts."

Kyungsoo crouched down and grabbed the phone, then handed it to Baekhyun who sighed in relief and stood up.

"Thanks man. Now what did you want ?" There was a hint of _the grin_ as he continued, "Are you here for a _specific_ reason ?" He flexed his abs slightly as he said the word _specific_ and Kyungsoo felt his outrage increase.

"I'm here to tell you to put a fucking shirt on when you're out in public," he gritted out. 

Baekhyun crossed his arms. "Why ?"

"It's _distracting."_

A range of emotions passed over Baekhyun's face and, to Kyungsoo's horror, settled on glee. Before he could reply, Kyungsoo stepped up, crowding him against the wall, the fury of a thousand suns burning in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very poor choice of words, Kyungsoo.


	21. Chapter 21

"Shut up."

"I haven't said -" Baekhyun started, but Kyungsoo crowded closer to him, glowering. There was a hint of madness in his eye and Baekhyun felt like he was standing at the highest point of a rollercoaster.

"Don't. Even. Fucking. Try," Kyungsoo whispered, getting even closer. They were centimeters apart and he looked _furious,_ ready to tear to Baekhyun to shreds. If he was entirely honest with himself, Baekhyun didn't think he'd really mind that outcome. Nothing was hotter than angry Kyungsoo.

Which, as Jongdae had pointed out, was kind of weird and perhaps a little worrying but -

His train of thought shortcircuited right then. Kyungsoo was kissing him again.

Kyungsoo pressed up against him, holding him firmly in place against the lockerroom wall by the shoulders. He kissed angrily, hungrily, but it was also much softer than Baekhyun had ever imagined based on the dance they'd shared, or remembered from the time in the closet. That drunk, foggy kiss had not been an accurate sample at all. Instinctively, Baekhyun brought an arm up around Kyungsoo's waist and let himself melt into the rhythm of the kiss.

One of Kyungsoo's hands left his shoulder and came to cup his face.

_Oh my god,_ thought Baekhyun, _he's a cupper. He cups faces. He's cupping my face. My face is BEING CUPPED._

It felt amazing. His whole body felt amazing, pinned down by the other's weight. He'd always thought of Kyungsoo as a smol bean, partly because it annoyed him to be called that, but up close with an arm around his waist and a hand on his hip, Baekhyun found that there was muscle and power under the black sweatshirt. All of that lifting meant one thing : Kyungsoo was _thick._

Just as Baekhyun found himself wondering about the thickness of Kyungsoo's thighs, the young man pulled away. He glared at Baekhyun as though nothing had happened. He raised a threatening finger and poked it into Baekhyun's chest.

"Don't you _dare_ mention this to anyone."

And then he grabbed his backpack, which he'd dropped in the scuffle, and stormed away.

"But," said Baekhyun to the empty room, "The world needs to know how thick -"

"NOT ONE FUCKING PERSON" Came from the next room in very audible all-caps before the door slammed shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and they say romance is dead


	22. Chapter 22

Baekhyun had figured that Kyungsoo would disappear again for a few days after the locker room. He'd been wrong.

It was barely two days later and here he was, pushed up against a wall in an empty corridor, feeling as though every cell in his body was vibrating. Kissing Kyungsoo just got more mind bending the more it happened.

Because Kyungsoo didn't just kiss with his lips like most assholes Baekhyun had been with. He kissed with his whole body, pressing their hips together, one leg bent to keep Baekhyun's apart and let him come even closer. He didn't just cup faces, he caressed them and slid his hand to Baekhyun's neck, to the base of his hair, and then he _gripped_.

It wasn't the usual mindless lips sliding against each other, vaguely sloppy and unpleasant. Kyungsoo chased every little sound that came out of Baekhyun's mouth uncontrolled, as though the most important thing for him was to make them happen again. Baekhyun felt like he was suddenly at the center of a shaft of sunlight that made everything warm and pleasant and very, very tingly.

They'd been kissing for hours, it seemed, when Kyungsoo pulled back slightly to Baekhyun's immense regret. He blinked, a little dazed. Kyungsoo glared at him.

"What ?" Asked Baekhyun breathlessly. To his surprise, what followed was not a threat on his life.

Instead, Kyungsoo leaned forward to leave a very delicate kiss on his lips. Then, voice so low that it was almost a growl, making Baekhyun's knees very weak :

"Do you wanna come over later ?"

"Fhyuh," said Baekhyun.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Kyungsoo, leaning in again for another quick kiss before separating and starting down the hall.

"Hang on," called Baekyun as he ran to catch up with him,"Much as I'd love to, sweet cheeks, I actually have stuff to do later."

"Don't call me that."

"What, sweet cheeks ?"

"Obviously."

"Why not ?"

"Cause it's demeaning ?" Kyungsoo stopped to look at him in disbelief, irritation growing, "Do I seriously have to explain that to you ?"

Baekhyun grinned. "You know, I never would have called you that if your reactions weren't so funny."

"So what, your purpose in life is to get a rise out of me ?"

An eyebrow wiggle from the enemy caused Kyungsoo to scowl. "It's working isn't it ?" Baekhyun smirked.

"Maybe it is." He stepped closer and Baekhyun found himself, once again, backed up against the wall. That dangerous glint in his eye was back, but calmer and colder. He hovered inches away, eyes drawn down to Baekhyun's lips, still red and tingling from kissing him so hard minutes ago. Time seemed to slow down and Baekhyun's awareness became restricted to his own pulse as the dark eyes rose to meet his own. Right as it became unbearable, Kyungsoo stepped away and added, "And maybe it isn't."

He walked away, leaving Baekhyun to lean against the wall and try to recover himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am having wifi problems which makes uploading a little difficult but here we are -
> 
> Kyungsoo is fighting fire with fire 
> 
> Hope you're all safe and healthy <3


	23. Chapter 23

"Junmyeon, you never have people over," Kyungsoo said one evening as they shared a pan full of ramen noodles.

Junmyeon looked up from his broth in surprise. "I guess I don't," he replied slowly. "Why ?"

"Now that I think of it, I've never known you to have a -" Kyungsoo stopped. Junmyeon was so sexless in his mind that he had never once wondered about his orientation in the two years they'd been roommates. Not that he wasn't _hot_. He was definitely handsome and insanely fit. Kyungsoo had seen him try to seduce someone before, he was sure of that, but.. who ? "- a person."

Junmyeon chuckled. "Maybe I'm just really discrete."

"Good point. I bet you could hide a harem in that mess you call a bedroom."

"To be honest, I do have someone I'd like to date -"

In a flash, Kyungsoo remembered dark eyebrows. "The guy from the party !"

"Yeah," Junmyeon smiled a little sadly. "He's really cute, isn't he ?"

"Dreamboat," lied Kyungsoo. He just remembered the eyebrows. Presumably the person attached to them would be rather opinionated, judging by their slant, but he had no memory of their face. Definitely a _he,_ though, Kyungsoo noted mentally.

"I just.. Unless I'm serious about someone I don't really have the time or energy to date you know ? I'm not made for casual relationships. Tried it a few times but I always end up feeling.. empty, I guess."

"Have you ever had a serious one ?" Asked Kyungsoo, feeling that he ought to know this.

"Oh yeah, of course, several." Junmyeon swallowed some noodles. "Well, a couple." He paused and looked at his broth. "Well, to be honest, just the one. But it lasted a long time."

"How long ?"

"Six months ? Give or take ?"

"Oh my god, Junmyeon."

His roommate's shoulders slumped. ".... I know," he mumbled. "I was in love, though. I think I'm just not very good at it - love, I mean."

Kyungsoo leaned over to give him a friendly pat. "You'll figure it out. What's the party guy's name ?"

"Sehun. He's a biology major."

"Tell you what. Let's have lunch together tomorrow, okay ?"

"Sounds good."

"Meet me in the science building cafeteria," Kyungsoo said very innocently, and Junmyeon choked on his noodles.

There was silence until he'd recovered a little. Kyungsoo drained his bowl of broth, set it down and looked at his roommate.

"So, fair warning - I might have someone coming over in the near future."

"Ooh, found someone new ?"

"No."

Junmyeon looked confused, but there was no way in hell Kyungsoo was explaining. He sighed. "It's complicated." After a pause, he added, "Well, actually, it's pretty simple. He's a dick but he kisses like he's going to cum right there and then and it's really hot."

Junmyeon choked on his noodles again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Suho appreciation corner)
> 
> I think irl Junmyeon is also a romantic, shy, awkward (very very talented) bean. Also, dem abs


	24. Chapter 24

Baekhyun looked up from his computer to find Kyungsoo standing next to his table, his usual irritated expression thrown into sharp relief by the shadows of the bookshelves.

"What's up, buttercup ?" Baekhyun smirked. Kyungsoo hated rhyming sentences.

It didn't fail. Kyungsoo scowled. "You're the worst."

"And yet," Baekhyun pushed his chair back and ran a hand through his hair, "You can't get enough of me, can you ?"

He'd just intended to nettle the other, but to his surprise Kyungsoo cast a furtive look around them to make sure no one was listening, then leaned forward a little.

"Want to make out ?"

Baekhyun pondered. This was a strange situation for him. He _did_ want to make out, because making out with Kyungsoo was fucking awesome, but on the other hand he felt like he had no power in whatever was happening and that was kind of weird. Not bad-weird, as he'd tried to explain to Jongdae, whose eyebrows were way too expressive for their own good, but really unusual. He was always the seducer, never the seducee.

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes. "Make your mind up. I don't have all day."

But could this really be called seduction, though ? It was more like threatening. _So why did he like it so much ?_

"Will you let me get to second base ?"

Kyungsoo rolled his beautiful eyes. "What are you, twelve ?"

"Well ?"

"I don't have boobs, you dumbass. It's hardly second base."

Baekhyun shrugged. "I just want to feel you up, dude."

"You spend half our make-out time feeling me up."

"Not _under_ the sweatshirt."

"Oh my god." Kyungsoo looked around a little desperately, but there was no way anyone was coming to his rescue. "Fine. You can feel me up under the sweatshirt. Just fucking come over here and make out already."

"Yay !" Baekhyun bounced up and followed him to the library restrooms. On the other side of the bookshelves, Jongin stared.

"Did they.." Chanyeol began, but he seemed unable to put words on what they'd seen. "Are they.."

Jongin turned to look at him, eyes wide. "Well damn," he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get it Kyungsoo


	25. Chapter 25

It was the fifth time that Chanyeol closed his book, looked up at him, opened his mouth, closed it and reopened his book that Kyungsoo lost his patience.

"What ?" He asked, putting his pencil down. He was trying to make a comprehensive time-line of the 16th century that included literary works as well as the whole mess with religious reforms, massacres and wars, and it required focus.

"Nothing !" Said Chanyeol hurriedly, but he took his glasses off and gave Kyungsoo a long searching look.

"Dude, you clearly have something on your mind. Spit it out. We have work to do."

"It's just - If you'd seen something weird, what would you do ?" Chanyeol spoke hesitantly.

"You're going to have to give me more context."

Chanyeol shifted in his seat. "Say.. say you saw someone you thought you knew doing.. something completely unexpected and out of character for them."

"Good or bad ?"

"Uh. Neither ? Just.. weird."

Kyungsoo pondered for a second. "Unless they were hurting someone I'd mind my own business, I guess ?"

"Right, right." Chanyeol nodded and returned to his book. After a minute, he looked back up. "Kyungsoo, I can tell you anything, right ?"

"Yeah man," he replied without looking up. "I got your back."

"And I've got yours."

Kyungsoo raised his eyes to find Chanyeol wearing a very intense expression. "I guess you do ?"

"And you know... you know you can tell me anything too right ?"

"Uh huh."

"I won't ever judge you, or think you're weird."

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Where is this coming from, dude ?"

"Nothing," said Chanyeol with a very unconvincing attempt at airiness which he immediately abandoned. "I saw you making out with Baekhyun."

_God damn it._

"And ?"

"Don't you hate the guy ?"

"Yeah."

"Well ?"

Kyungsoo sighed. "If it's all the same to you, Yeol, I'd rather not talk about it for now. I don't know what's happening I just - I don't hate _it_."

"But you hate _him_."

"He has.. one or two redeemable qualities." _He's fucking gorgeous, for one thing._

"Okay, okay." Chanyeol nodded. "I just.. I just don't want you to get hurt, I guess."

Kyungsoo softened. "I think I'll be okay. But thanks, I appreciate you saying that."

To his surprise, Chanyeol leaned over to give a great bear hug, engulfing him in his XXXXL sweater. "Love you bro."

"Get off -"

"Not until you say it back."

"Fine. I love you too. Now get off."

Chanyeol disentangled them, gave him a grin and returned to his book. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and resumed his own work, unable to keep a slight smile off his features.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell your friends you love them 
> 
> it's important
> 
> you never know when they're going to be a dumbass


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : semi-public handjob, dirty talk

"Does that feel good ?" Baekhyun whispered into his ear as he jacked him off quickly between two bookshelves in the deserted library.

"Shut up and get me.. off before someone finds us," Kyungsoo managed to get out.

"Relax, dude, it's almost midnight. There's no one around. Just let yourself feel how good I'm making you feel," and with a smirk he attacked Kyungsoo's neck.

"That.. would be easier... if you _shut the fuck up_..."

Baekhyun kissed up his neck as he spoke. "What ? You mean - you don't like - my dirty talk ?"

"You.. ugh.. call that.. dirty talk ?"

Just then, Baekhyun's hand did a twisty thing over the head of Kyungsoo's cock and he felt his legs tremble as he spilled a seemingly endless stream of cum. Baekhyun stroked him through until it started to hurt and Kyungsoo let out the breath he'd been holding.

"You're going to get me banned from the library," Baekhyun said lightly as he examined his cum stained hand. He cast an eye on Kyungsoo's pants, which were also conspicuously spotted with white. "You couldn't even wait until we got to the bathroom."

"You're the one who stuck his hand down my pants," Kyungsoo returned, zipping himself back up. He fished into his pocket for a tissue and began dabbing at himself.

"You were practically begging for it. Is it studying that makes you horny, or can you just not resist me _at all ?"_

"I was going to offer to take care of that boner but the more you keep talking and the more I just want to walk away."

Baekhyun looked down. He did have quite the situation in his pants.

"Come on," said Kyungsoo, grabbing his hand and pulling him away to the bathroom.

"Are you going to show me what you call dirty talk ?"

Kyungsoo whirled around and pinned him to the wall. He leaned in close to Baekhyun's neck and whispered, hot breath tickling the other's ear, "I'm going to make you cum so hard you black out.. Then I'm going to make you get on your knees and beg for my cock."

Baekhyun moaned, and Kyungsoo smirked. "Look at you. Three words and you're already a mess. I'm not even touching you yet."

He pulled away and with a fiery look at Baekhyun, turned and walked toward the restrooms. Baekhyun followed without a word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. They are out of control now


	27. Chapter 27

Baekhyun stared into space. Jongdae was sitting next to him, engrossed in a conversation with Yixing and Minseok, and some other very pretty guy who was sitting really close to Minseok. Baekhyun hadn't caught his name. He hadn't caught much of anything today. His focus kept slipping away.

It had been a while since he'd felt it this badly. The meds really did help him to concentrate on whatever was at hand. And he'd been taking them diligently. So what was happening today ?

He raised a hand to his lips absentmindedly, remembering the delightfully heavy and thick weight on his tongue of -

"Baek ? Are you with us ?"

"Wha - ?"

Jongdae gave him a look over his glasses. "We're talking about maybe going on a hike this weekend. Are you interested ?"

"Uhh.." Truth be told, he wasn't much of a hiker. Running, sure. But he didn't see the point of walking for hours. Also maybe Kyungsoo was free this weekend.

The guy attached to Minseok gave him a radiant smile. "I know this really beautiful walk in the woods, there's even a waterfall !"

Baekhyun nodded. "Good place to murder someone and dispose of their body."

The whole table groaned except for Minseok's friend, who looked alarmed.

"Sorry, Luhan," said Jongdae, "He's been listening to true crime podcasts. I promise he's not a psychopath -"

"That you know of -" interjected Baekhyun, feeling bored with the conversation. He looked around the cafeteria, hoping to find Kyungsoo, but there was no sign of him. The memory of their last tryst in the library bathroom was impossible to get out of his mind. Kyungsoo's dick, much like his kissing, was _fucking magic._

The thought of it on his tongue again made him salivate - full on salivate - this was ridiculous.

He rose abruptly, stuffing his uneaten sandwich into his backpack.

"Baek ?"

"Sorry," he gave Jongdae a quick nod, then suddenly remembered that they'd been having lunch all together like this because Minseok wanted them to meet Luhan. "And sorry Minseok, I have uh - something to do. Great to meet you, Luhan. Let's get coffee at some point !"

And with a wave, he hurried out of the cafeteria. As if by miracle, he ran into -

"Kyungsoo !"

The other gave him a small smile, and Baekhyun felt his weird mood evaporate.

"C'mon," He said, grabbing his hand and pulling him away.

"But I was going to have lunch -"

"Come have it in the park with me." He gave Kyungsoo a tiny pout. "Come on. It's a beautiful day."

Kyungsoo looked at him for a second, then smiled. "Fine. Lead the way."

So Baekhyun took his hand again, reflecting on : 1. how Kyungsoo's smile was heartshaped and 2. how it was somehow hotter than his frown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having your dick in someone's mouth does wonders for your interpersonal relationship ig


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : public canoodling (does this really need a warning ? Idk but just in case)

"Can't you just -" Baekhyun's voice was desperate, but Kyungsoo kept him in place with a firm hand on his hips.

"We're in public, I'm not going to fuck you here." Easily, he resumed kissing Baekhyun's neck. With his free hand he was tracing random patterns on his hip bone. Baekhyun was writhing.

"C'mon.. we've been.. doing this for hours." He was panting from arousal. It was kind of cute, if Kyungsoo was entirely honest with himself.

"It's been twenty minutes at most."

"Kyungsoo - let's just - go somewhere."

"Go where ?" Asked Kyungsoo, absently kissing up to his earlobe, where he began to nibble. Baekhyun's answer was lost to a moan.

Fortunately, there was no one in their immediate vicinity in the park. On the other side of the lake, a few other couples were hanging out but they were way too busy with their own shenanigans to pay any attention to two horny college students rolling around in the grass.

All of a sudden, Baekhyun slipped out of Kyungsoo's loosened grasp and in one swift motion, straddled him and pinned his arms down.

"I don't give a fuck if we are in public," he growled, "I _need_ to feel you." He punctuated this by rolling his hips down against Kyungsoo's own erection and, in a flash, Kyungsoo pictured fucking him right there and then, while everyone on the other side of the lake watched. 

" _FU-uck._ That's low -" But then Baekhyun kissed him, a full, deep kiss that wiped any coherent thought from his brain, and he lost himself to the motion of the other's hips against him.

"Wait wait wait -" He managed to say after a while. Baekhyun was kissing along his shoulder, pulling at his t-shirt collar, and payed no attention.

Without tremendous effort, Kyungsoo sat up and pulled Baekhyun's face up to kiss him delicately on the lips.

"We can go to my place. I'm pretty sure my roommate's out for the day."

He kissed him again, wound an arm around the other's waist and whispered against the skin of his neck, "I'll make you feel so good."

Baekhyun's eyes were half-lidded and heavy, and Kyungsoo brushed a strand of hair off his forehead before kissing him again. "I'll give you everything you deserve, _sweet cheeks_."

"O - okay," Baekhyun's voice hitched but he detached himself and grabbed his bag, trembling slightly. Kyungsoo, having straightened himself out a little, picked up his own stuff then took Baekhyun's hand and led him back to his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mess with Kyungsoo he totally fights dirty


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : sex.

"What's taking so long ?" Groaned Baekhyun, propped up on his elbows.

Kyungsoo paused, two fingers still in the other's ass. "Are you not.. enjoying this ?"

"I mean, yeah but - I also kind of want your dick in there before next year, you know ?"

Kyungsoo retracted his hand and glared at Baekhyun, who was straining his neck to look back at him.

"I thought making you horny also made you silent."

Baekhyun flipped onto his back and grinned. "That's only temporary. Let me show you how it's done."

He spread his legs wide and with a smirk, put three fingers in his mouth. It was really hot, but now Kyungsoo was also kind of annoyed. He just wanted to make sure everything was stretched out enough. He'd never exactly gotten this far with a guy and he was pretty sure all the gay porn he'd watched was not a great reference.

Baekhyun seemed to guess his thoughts.

"Is this your first time with a guy ?" He asked lightly, three fingers up his own ass. Kyungsoo couldn't keep his eyes away.

"Um. Sort of ? I've done - stuff. But I never got this far."

"Stuff ?"

"You know.." To his own increasing annoyance, Kyungsoo found himself blushing. Why couldn't he say it out loud ? What the fuck ?

"You had no problem telling me what you were going to do to me the other day," Baekhyun smirked. His other hand came to rest on his dick and he stroked slowly, in rhythm with the fingers stretching him out.

"It's not the same -" But he knew as he was saying it that it didn't make any sense. He just couldn't seem to focus on making sense when the other looked like _that_. Baekhyun seemed to guess this as well. His smirk grew as he rolled his head back a little and moaned. His hand left his dick and travelled up his own chest to his neck, where he gripped the base of his own hairline.

"Oh.. feels good," he moaned again, eyes closed. Kyungsoo felt very much like a third wheel all of a sudden, which was fucking stupid because there were only two of them there in the first place.

Baekhyun opened his eyes and gave him a heavy look. "You wanna help ?"

So Kyungsoo crawled a little closer. That was the moment Baekhyun chose to say : "Why don't show me what that mouth do."

"Okay that's enough," he growled, getting off the bed.

"Wait no, don't leave -" but Baekhyun didn't finish his sentence. Kyungsoo had stripped off all of his clothing and was standing there looking at him with fury in his eyes and rolling a condom onto the same very large dick that he'd already met in the bathroom.

"Oof," said Baekhyun. Somehow it looked even bigger in the natural light.

Kyungsoo kneeled on the bed and leaned in close. "You want this ?"

"Y.. yeah.." How did he do it ? How did he keep knocking all the breath from his lungs like this ?

Kyungsoo towered above him, wide and thick and fucking _giant,_ and Baekhyun felt himself dissolve. The other seemed to understand, because he bent down to whisper in his ear : "Are you gonna be good ?"

And Baekhyun found himself nodding frantically, and basking in the warmth of Kyungsoo's satisfied smile. He didn't just want it. He _needed_ it. He needed to be good for Kyungsoo.

"Good," said Kyungsoo, kissing him and pushing in at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Baekhyun definitely has a bit of a size kink I think 
> 
> which is ironic
> 
> considering Kyungsoo is such a smol bean


	30. Chapter 30

"How in the fuck does he make you feel smaller though ?" Enquired Jongdae, looking extremely unconvinced as he ate donut holes from the bag. "He's way shorter than you."

Baekhyun sighed and took a sip of bubble tea. "He's not that much shorter. And besides he's really thick and beefy."

Jongdae gave him another unconvinced look. "We're still talking about Kyungsoo ?"

"I swear, he hides it well but he's actually ripped. And his dick is like.. as long as my forearm."

"Oh my god," groaned Jongdae. "First of all that's not possible, and second of all - ew."

"Okay maybe not that long, but.. long enough."

"I still can't believe you annoyed him into sleeping with you."

Baekhyun shrugged, too busy with his bubble tea to answer.

"So is it just like, a one time thing or do you plan on keeping this going ?"

"Do I look like I plan any part of my life out." He felt slightly nettled.

"It's just.." Jongdae paused to think and pop another donut hole in his mouth. "You never really sleep twice with the same person, do you ? Not since -"

"Not since Haneul," finished Baekhyun, looking away.

"Sorry buddy," Jongdae winced.

"It's okay." It wasn't, really, but it didn't matter much.

"I think it's good you're having fun with Kyungsoo, don't get me wrong."

Baekhyun kicked a can that was lying on the sidewalk and wished his friend would drop the subject. He didn't really want to talk about it at all. About how Kyungsoo made him feel small, and protected, and desired, and important, and everything Haneul had made him think he was and know he wasn't. That had been a rough lesson to learn.

"I don't even know what I'm worried about. You've been doing this for a while."

He _had_ been doing this for a while. Sleeping around was fun. It made his brain shut up for a little bit. It made him feel sexy and powerful.

"And besides," Jongdae continued, "It's gotta feel nice that Kyungsoo wants you too when he's so frigid."

"He's not frigid, though," mumbled Baekhyun around the bubble tea straw.

"No, sorry - I mean.. unapproachable, I guess."

Baekhyun nodded. "He is a little unapproachable."

"But you've successfully gotten into his pants !"

"Yeah.." Baekhyun halfheartedly returned Jongdae's high five. "I gotta go, I have a class in five minutes. See ya later."

He veered off towards a random building and Jongdae watched him go, forehead creased. He'd known Baekhyun for long enough to know that he was definitely _not_ okay with the whole thing. Unfortunately, after all this time he still hadn't really figured out how to help him. He sighed. No matter what Baekhyun said, he had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't originally planned to make this angsty but uh. Here we are


	31. Chapter 31

"D'you know if Jongdae's dating anyone ?" Asked Chanyeol one afternoon, after their fifth failed attempt at clearing a level in Overcooked. Kyungsoo was usually pretty bad at it anyway, but this was unprecedented.

"Why would I know ?" He replied, rising to get some snacks from the kitchen.

Chanyeol shrugged and leaned back on the couch. "You're spending so much time with Baekhyun lately.."

"We don't talk much, though. It's mostly just -"

" - boning ?"

"I was going to say sex," Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, "Buy yeah, basically just boning."

"Weren't you texting him the other day ?"

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at his friend. "How d'you know ?"

"You left your phone on the table when you went to the bathroom. It buzzed. I couldn't help but see you had a text from him," said Chanyeol with unconvincing airiness.

".. Fine. Yes, we are texting back and forth, but I don't think that's any of your business."

"But you _are_ talking."

"Yeah," said Kyungsoo, handing him a beer, "But not about Jongdae."

"Oh. Right."

"Why don't you just ask him directly ?"

To his surprise, Chanyeol blushed. "Wouldn't that be kind of weird ?"

"Does it matter ?"

"I don't want to scare him off."

"Chanyeol... do _you_ want to date Jongdae ?"

"No !" Chanyeol answered too hurriedly. "Maybe ? I don't know. Not if he's dating someone else -" but his face fell as he said this. Kyungsoo gave him an understanding pat.

"Would it suck balls if he were dating someone else ?"

".. Yeah, kinda."

Kyungsoo handed him the bag of chips and Chanyeol curled up onto the couch, the better to stare into the distance. After a short silence, he spoke up again.

"So what do you talk about with Baekhyun ?"

"Promise you won't make fun -"

"Of course."

"We sort of.. started talking about Star Wars. Turns out he hates the prequels, which is fair but -"

"But there's some good stuff in there !" Chanyeol cut in, sitting back up.

"Yeah, that's what I said. Darth Maul -"

"- the pod race !"

"And Obi-Wan Kenobi," added Kyungsoo, to which his friend nodded enthusiastically.

"Obi-Wan fucking Kenobi ! Gotta love him."

"So basically," continued Kyungsoo undeterred, "He's been rewatching them and live-texting as he goes."

"Is he liking them any better ?"

"Um.. to be honest it's kind of devolved into nothing but prequel memes."

Chanyeol gave him a long look, but, to Kyungsoo relief, he didn't laugh. Instead he just shook his head and, under his breath, muttered :

"You guys are so married."

Kyungsoo threw a pillow at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you heard the tragedy of Darth Soo the Wise ? nO ? It's not a story the jedi would tell you.... 
> 
> cause it is
> 
> kinda   
> gay


	32. Chapter 32

Kyungsoo jumped out of his skin when Junmyeon tapped his shoulder. He had headphones on and was listening to some French band Chanyeol had recommended while he worked.

"Sorry man," Junmyeon grimaced. "I yelled but you weren't answering. The intercom rang - some guy wants to see you."

"Some guy ?" Repeated Kyungsoo, feeling weirdly like he was speaking French.

"He said his name is Baek ?"

"Huh."

Junmyeon looked at him uncertainly. "So.. do you want to buzz him up ?"

"What ? Oh yeah, sorry." Chanyeol's music recommandations were generally pretty intense. Kyungsoo shook himself and rose, giving Junmyeon a pat. "I'll go buzz him in. You get back to -" He realized all of a sudden that his roommate was half-naked and sweaty, "- uh. Either working out, or sex ?"

"I wish," mumbled Junmyeon on his way back to his room.

"Yeah ?" Said Kyungsoo, picking up the intercom.

"It's Baek."

"What do you want ?"

".. To see you ?"

Kyungsoo pondered for a second, then decided this was acceptable. He pressed the button and said, "Close the door behind you."

He cracked the door and returned to his room to try and straighten it out a little. He'd gotten the clothes off his bed and into a hamper when Baekhyun came in, wearing a black jacket and a tired expression. To Kyungsoo's surprise, he waited by the door until he'd been gestured to sit on the bed.

"So what's up ?"

"I.. wanted to hang out with someone," replied Baekhyun without quite meeting his eye.

"What about your friends ?" Even as the words escaped him, he realized how they sounded. To his relief, Baekhyun didn't seem upset. He even smirked a little.

"You're quieter than they are."

"That's not hard," mumbled Kyungsoo, thinking of the last time he'd spent an afternoon with Jongdae and Chanyeol. If they ever got together the very concept of ' _peace and quiet'_ would be ruined forever.

Baekhyun pulled out a book. "I actually do need to work a little, if it's okay with you."

Kyungsoo nodded. He wanted to get some stuff done too, so he turned back to his desk and they settled in to a companionable silence. Baekhyun turned the pages slowly, scribbling in a notebook every now and then. He was wearing his glasses and that was about as cute as his expression while he worked.

Kyungsoo stole glances every now and then, but he did manage to get through his essay quicker than he'd expected. After a couple of hours, he was pretty much done. He'd have to proofread and fix his bibliography, but that could wait until tomorrow.

He closed his last reference book and stretched. It was half past eleven.

"How are you doing ?" He asked lightly. Baekhyun looked up, and he recognized in his eyes the same faraway expression he often felt on himself when he'd been working hard. The answer would take a minute to come.

As if on cue, Baekhyun gave himself a shake. "It's uh - yeah, pretty good. It's been a while since I've been so focused for so long."

"Don't you take meds to help with that ?"

"They help, but they aren't magic," Baekhyun shrugged. "Could I get a glass of water ?"

"Sure, hang on -" Grateful for the opportunity to stretch his legs, Kyungsoo got up and went to the kitchen. When he returned, Baekhyun was examining his bookshelf. He accepted the glass and turned back to the shelf.

"What's this ?"

Kyungsoo came closer to see what Baekhyun was pointing at. "That's Camelot 3000." He put an arm around Baekhyun's waist. "It's this amazingly dumb comic book about King Arthur waking up in the year 3000."

To his surprise, Baekhyun seemed tense. He nodded and suddenly, turned to look directly at Kyungsoo and wiggle his eyebrow. "So I'm in your bedroom again."

Kyungsoo took a step back. He hadn't thought this would turn sexual so quickly.

Baekhyun followed, eyes dark, speaking low : "What do you think, hot stuff ?"

"Are you trying to rile me up ?"

But Baekhyun was already hovering really close to his neck and the familiar tingle was running up his spine. One more step back - he sat down on the bed and Baekhyun followed, straddling him.

"I think it's working," he said, rolling his hips against the hard outline of Kyungsoo's cock.

"With you ? Always," replied Kyungsoo softly before kissing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all safe and able to stay at home 
> 
> And if you are part of the people risking their lives to heal others or to keep things going, thank you so much <3 stay strong and good luck <3


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : sex.

It was hard for Baekhyun to form any coherent thoughts when Kyungsoo had three fingers stretching him out, a little sooner than he was completely ready for, just how he liked it, and that mouth of his working up and down his dick, kissing it as though it were the most precious object in his world at the moment.

Baekhyun had given his fair share of blowjobs, but he was less often on the receiving end. His usual partners were content to use him, and that was what he usually wanted anyway.

Kyungsoo didn't seem to want to use him, though. It was strange. Everything he did had one purpose, or at least one result : it made him feel good. And not as a side-effect of being useful. Pleasure curled in his toes and his stomach, coursing up his fingers in tingles that made him tremble and moan - not because he thought Kyungsoo wanted to hear him, but just because he couldn't stop them from coming out.

"My roommate is going to hear you," remarked Kyungsoo lightly after a particularly loud one.

"- S.. sorry.."

"No," he replied, looking up from between Baekhyun's legs, eyes dark and warm, "Don't apologize. Your voice is beautiful."

The pleasure in Baekhyun's middle mingled with a spike of ice.

"Can we get on with it ?" He whispered, hoping he sounded impatient. But with his breath so short and the need so present under his skin, his words came out more pitiful than pressing.

"You need it so soon, baby ?" But the tone belied the teasing words and Kyungsoo drew himself up to get a condom onto himself.

Baekhyun followed and straddled him, kissing him with a vengeance. A strong arm came up to hold him around the middle and, slower than he wanted, lowered him down. The sting of Kyungsoo entering him ran up his spine and he threw his head back, moaning even louder than before.

"You make such pretty sounds," whispered Kyungsoo, kissing up his neck, helping him rise and fall onto his dick. His own breathing was getting ragged but his voice stayed so low and calming that Baekhyun felt a strange urge to cry rise in his gut.

"Faster," he answered, hoping to get fucked hard enough to pass out. "Please.. harder.."

"You beg well, too," said Kyungsoo and, too his surprise, lifted him off and manoeuvred him flat onto his stomach.

"What are you -"

But Kyungsoo bent down to kiss him and whisper. "Trust me, yeah ?"

Then he laced his left arm under Baekhyun's armpit to hold him in place, and with the other one he circled Baekhyun's right leg, pulling it up.

"Oh fu-uck-" moaned Baekhyun when Kyungsoo re-entered him, fucking him slow but so, so deep. The heavy weight of Kyungsoo's body pinned him down, leaving him no escape or respite as he picked up the rhythm.

And with each powerful thrust, the world dissolved, and the only thing that mattered anymore was Kyungsoo and the heavenly feeling of his cock wrecking everything he knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyungsoo treating my boy how he deserves to be treated


	34. Chapter 34

"Jesus," Baekhyun whispered. He was still lying on his stomach, spread-eagle on the bed, although Kyungsoo had gone to clean himself up five minutes ago.

The sound of soft footsteps came to Baekhyun's ears and Kyungsoo reappeared, still fully naked.

"Jesus," Baekhyun said, louder.

"Here," replied Kyungsoo, giving him a washcloth.

Baekhyun sat up and took it but he couldn't tear his eyes off the other, who was built like a short but very very thick tank.

"You ok ?" Kyungsoo sat on the side of the bed and cupped Baekhyun's face again to better look into his eyes. He felt his heart skip a beat when, very quiet but very deep, and a little uncertainly, Kyungsoo asked, "Did you.. like it ?"

"Are you kidding me ? That's the best fuck I've had in forever. Even better than the last one, somehow." He began to clean himself up with the washcloth. "I won't be walking straight for a week."

Kyungsoo rose from the bed to collect the pieces of clothing strewn about the room.

"Who knew you'd be such a sex machine," commented Baekhyun, still busy with the washcloth.

"If the only way to get you to stop being obnoxious is fuck you so hard you pass out, I don't have much of a choice."

"Don't you ?" To Kyungsoo's surprise, Baekhyun's voice had lost all of its bravado. He turned to find him looking very small, sitting cross-legged on the bed, an almost desperate air on his features. In an instant he crossed over and pulled him into his arms.

Baekhyun's stomach dropped.

"Maybe I do. But maybe I don't want to."

Baekhyun tried to relax into Kyungsoo's arms but he remained tense as the strong fingers stroked his hair. His eyes found themselves drawn to the desk chair, upon which a familiar blue and white jacket hung.

"I can't believe you still have that," he said softly, pointing.

"That's my lucky jacket," replied Kyungsoo. "I found it in the lounge -"

"I know. I'm the one who left it on you."

"You - What ?"

"You looked cold," he shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. It was no big deal after all. Just a dumb jacket.

After a long silence as he mulled this new information over, Kyungsoo tipped his chin up and their eyes met. "You're really not as much of a dick as you pretend to be, are you ?"

They looked at each other for some moments, Kyungsoo's eyes so warm and soft that Baekhyun, once again, wanted to dissolve. Then, he leaned down for a very delicate kiss that made Baekhyun's heart ache.

Once again, a strong hand reached up to brush a strand of hair of his forehead, and once again came kind words in that wonderful, deep voice,

"D'you want to stay the night ?"

Baekhyun nodded, in spite of the icy feeling spreading through his gut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean how can you not fall for Byun Baekhyun tho. He is a sweet soft precious bean


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : this chapter contains a description of a panic attack. If you're feeling anxious and/or sensitive, skip to the end notes for a summary of what happened.

Kyungsoo was snoring softly, an arm thrown over Baekhyun. It was sometime in that weird place around 3 am and Baekhyun had been waiting to fall asleep for hours. He chewed his lip harder with every breath that Kyungsoo exhaled. Such an amazing fuck would usually have made him fall asleep in seconds. But he could feel the restlessness in his very bones, and ice still gripped through his gut.

He looked down at the sleeping face, impossibly soft compared to its usual grumpy expression, and had the sudden sensation that his stomach was falling out. Without thinking, he jerked out of Kyungsoo's grasp and found himself standing by the side of the bed, heaving.

Kyungsoo turned over in his sleep and hugged a plush corgi to himself. Trembling, Baekhyun found his pants and pulled them on, located his jacket and phone and crept out, shirtless. He threw the jacket on as he went, breath still short, and only stopped once outside of Kyungsoo's building. It was three in the morning, but he didn't feel the cold. A tremor was still going through his limbs. Quickly, he began to walk vaguely in the direction of his own flat, thoughts racing by too fast to make any sense of them.

All he wanted to do was sleep. That thought stood out against the others, still whirling by : _I need to sleep. I need to sleep. I need to sleep._

He gulped in the fresh night air, feeling as though all the oxygen had been drained from the world. The heaving started again. He wouldn't make it home. With blinding clarity, the certainty of his own imminent death flooded through to his gut.

He looked around, trying to figure where he was, and the sight of a dimly lit 7/11 registered in the darkest part of his brain. Still hyperventilating, he veered off at a half jog and soon found himself in front of a faded yellow building. Now he just had to find -

A tired voice crackled out of the intercom. "If this is a fucking joke I swear to God -"

Baekhyun tried to force out a word, but he still couldn't get enough breath to speak. A broken sob escaped him instead. He crumpled down to the ground, and huddled himself in a corner by the door, fingers clenched in his own hair.

"..." The intercom went silent, then Minseok's voice came to him again, quieter, ".. Baek ? Is that you ?"

He still couldn't -

"Baek ! Oh my god -" The voice wasn't coming from the intercom anymore, but it was right there above him. The door had opened.

"I think.. I'm having.. a panic attack," Baekhyun managed to force out. This seemed to trigger something new, and he started crying.

"I got you, Baek, I'm here," Minseok crouched down and put an arm under his shoulders. "Can you get up ? Let's go upstairs, okay ?"

Baekhyun nodded through his tears and, clinging to his friend, managed to rise slowly.

"It'll be much nicer freaking out upstairs. I'll give you a blanket and make some hot cocoa, okay ?"

Luhan was waiting in the flat in one of Minseok's performance club t-shirts, looking gently perplexed. When he saw Baekhyun, he disappeared without a word and returned with a very fluffy sweater. They put him on the couch and with soft, slow movements, Minseok got the jacket off and the sweater on, talking quietly the whole time. Luhan began to move around the kitchen, just outside of Baekhyun's range of awareness.

"Okay Baek, you're okay. You'll be okay. We're taking care of you. Breathe for me, okay ? It's okay, sweet Baekkie, you're fine. Luhan's making you a hot drink. Here's a blanket. How about a hug, huh ? How does that sound ? Come here."

Still crying, Baekhyun let himself be gathered up in Minseok's arms. His friend ran a hand up and down his back slowly, and slowly Baekhyun's sobs quieted. His eyelids drooped and before he knew it, exhausted by the ordeal, he was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is safe and okay. 
> 
> Sorry for the angst - it's the most there'll be in this fic as I don't want to bring anyone down during an already hard time. 
> 
> Summary : while Kyungsoo's sleeping, Baekhyun starts to have a panic attack. He runs out of the appartment with half of his clothes on and finds his way to Minseok's apartment. Minseok and Luhan take him in and calm him down, and he falls asleep on Minseok's couch.


	36. Chapter 36

"You ok man ?"

Kyungsoo focused very suddenly on his surroundings and found Chanyeol staring at him with a worried look. Beside him, Jongdae was shovelling some spaghetti down. He also looked vaguely worried but it was unclear whether he was worried about Kyungsoo or the staggering amount of pasta the cafeteria worker had given him. There was no way he would ever be able to finish it. It was like some Lovecraftian creature, thought Kyungsoo, ready to extend its wheaty tentacles onto innocent bystanders -

"Kyungsoo ?"

"Yeah," he answered, pulling himself back to his friend. "Yeah I'm ok."

"Did you sleep at all last night ?"

"Actually, yeah. For once." Fucking the daylight out of Baekhyun was better than any pill he'd ever taken for his insomnia. Waking up to find him gone without a word was weird, though. "Have you seen Baekhyun today ?"

Jongdae froze, both cheeks bulging with spaghetti, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"'Ang omf," he replied, and after a truly disgusting amount of high-speed chewing and swallowing, cleared his throat, "Haven't seen him. Wasn't he at your place last night ?"

Kyungsoo nodded. "He told you, then."

"Sort of. I asked if I could come over and borrow a book he got from the library. Said he wasn't home. So I asked if he was about to get railed by you - scuse my french."

"And ?"

"He never replied. I assumed he was busy getting railed," Jongdae frowned. "So was that not the case ?"

"No - I mean yeah," It was weird talking about this with Jongdae. The whole thing was weird. And where was Baekhyun ? "He seemed a little off, though."

"How so ?" Asked Jongdae, sliding his mountain of spaghetti over to Chanyeol, who wordlessly began to help him scale it.

"Well.." Kyungsoo pondered for a second, thinking about the edge in his voice and the pain in his eyes, "He wasn't as loud as usual. And he seemed.. sad, I guess ?"

Jongdae gave him a long look.

"And then I asked if he wanted to stay the night, after we'd finished. Cause it was late right ? I didn't want him walking home alone. It was past midnight. He said yes, but when I woke up he was gone."

"To be fair, he generally gets up pretty early -"

"But half of his stuff was still there. He left his tshirt, so he must have gone with only a jacket on. And I know he doesn't mind going around shirtless but.. in the middle of the night ?"

"Hmm." Jongdae nodded. "Yeah, that is weird."

Kyungsoo laid a hand on his backpack on the bench beside him. "I should return his t-shirt to him, at least."

He'd flipped through the book Baekhyun had been reading. It was about the philosophy of language and most of what he'd read had gone way over his head. He'd left it at home because it was way too heavy to lug around and also, perhaps, to give Baekhyun a reason to come back.

Jongdae looked at his watch then gave Kyungsoo another long calculating square. "He's been practising a lot with Minseok, lately. They have a show coming up," he said slowly, as though uncertain whether he should be sharing this information. "They're generally in practise room C at lunchtime."

Kyungsoo gave Jongdae a grateful nod and rose, every thought of food forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear on the soul of my dead father Domingo Montoya this is the closest to tentacle hentai I'm ever getting


	37. Chapter 37

The sun was shining brightly when Baekhyun woke up on Minseok's couch. He was too hot and for a second couldn't quite remember how he'd got there. As the fancy print of a famous painting on the wall across him slid into blurry focus, everything came slowly flooding back.

"Fuck," he mumbled, sitting up and wincing. He'd been right about one thing - his ass was sore. A pleasant shiver ran up his spine as he remembered the amazing way Kyungsoo had fucked him into oblivion, and then - "Fuck," he said again, burying his face in his hands.

"That's one way to put it," came from the kitchen. He turned to find Luhan, coffee cup in hand, leaning on Minseok's counter and looking at him.

"Oh - hey, man."

"How are you feeling ?" He circled the counter and came up to the couch to give Baekhyun a glass of water.

"Uh -" But somehow Luhan, without doing anything, was signalling very gently and very insistantly that Baekhyun should drink the whole glass, and he was in no position to argue. He downed the water. "I'm feeling.. empty sort of ? If that makes sense."

"Makes sense," Luhan nodded. "Do you like eggs ?"

"Um.. yeah."

"Okay, don't move."

And with that, he was back in the kitchen banging around with pans and bowls. Baekhyun left the couch and walked gingerly over to the counter to sit on one of Minseok's fancy barstools.

"Sorry for barging in like that, by the way."

"Don't worry about it. It didn't look like you were having much fun."

Baekhyun remembered his blind flight through empty streets, running from his own brain. "Yeah, that's for sure."

It was only once Baekhyun had downed the plate of scrambled eggs and toast that Luhan gave him a serious look and even more serious : "Now, then."

He sighed. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation."

"You don't owe me anything. We barely know each other."

Baekhyun felt a pang of guilt. That was definitely his own fault, and Luhan being so nice to him now only made it sharper. Before he could say anything, Luhan continued :

"But it does seem like you have some stuff you need to figure out. Because, believe me, if you're at the point where whatever it is is causing panic attacks, the more you avoid it and the worse they'll become." He gave Baekhyun's hand a gentle pat. "I'm here if you're okay to talk to me. If not, I think you should find someone you feel comfortable with and sort through what's going on in your head."

"Why are you being so nice to me ?"

"Minseok cares a lot about you," answered Luhan simply, "And I care a lot about Minseok."

"Well.. Thanks, man. Seriously. I have a class pretty soon so I should go, but.. I really appreciate it."

Luhan waved him off. "Shower, then. You smell like sex."

So, very sheepishly, Baekhyun went off to borrow Minseok's shower and one of his t-shirts, and then go about his day much humbled by the kindness Luhan had shown him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm relatively new to the fandom (Kokobop convert) so I never really shipped Xiuhan but
> 
> every now and then
> 
> a little non OTP ship is a nice thing to explore
> 
> They are all such sweet soft beans anyway.


	38. Chapter 38

Kyungsoo knocked gingerly on the door of practise room C, hoping he wouldn't interrupt anything important. To his surprise, the door flew open almost instantly, revealing Kim Minseok, arguably the hottest guy on campus.

"Yes ?" He asked politely.

"Is uh - is Baekhyun here ? I was told he might be."

Minseok looked him up and down. It wasn't judgemental so much as gently terrifying. After a short pause, he replied, "Aren't you the guy Baekhyunnie and I beat at beer pong that one time ?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"You're the guy he wanted seven minutes in heaven with," declared Minseok, staring at him unblinkingly.

Kyungsoo nodded.

"You're Do Kyungsoo. "

This was getting weird. "How d'you know ?"

Minseok shrugged. "Jongdae mentioned you the other day. I think he's worried about Baek. And right to be.." He added mysteriously, stepping aside to let Kyungsoo into the practise room, which he immediately realized was completely devoid of Byun Baekhyun.

At the same time, he heard the door close and turned to find Minseok leaning against it, arms crossed, expression dangerous.

"Was he with you last night ?" He asked with a deceptively light tone.

"Yeah.. Again, how do you know that ?"

"He rang my intercom at three in the morning. I had to go down and get him." Minseok left the wall and took a step towards Kyungsoo. "He was huddled by the door, wearing nothing but pants and a jacket."

"Oh my god.." Whispered Kyungsoo.

"See, he was having a panic attack. I don't know how he found his way to my place. I don't even know why he left _your_ place." He stopped, a couple steps away from Kyungsoo, radiating a very menacing aura. "Did you do something, Do Kyungsoo, to trigger a panic attack ?"

Kyungsoo let himself fall down onto the single chair, stunned by this information. A _panic attack_ ? How ? _Why_ ? "I hope not. I'm not sure - Not.. not intentionally."

Minseok's eyes gave him a very recognizable _please proceed with caution_ look, and he tried to organize his thoughts. "He came over pretty late and we had sex. He seemed a little down, I guess, but I'm pretty sure he enjoyed himself."

"And then ?"

"Then I asked if he wanted to sleep over, he said yes, and I fell asleep. When I woke up he was gone." Minseok was still looking at him with burning intensity, so he added, "I promise, I'd never do anything to hurt him. He can be annoying but.." he gulped, "But he's actually a pretty cool guy."

"Okay." Minseok nodded, and the dangerous aura lessened a little. He sighed. "Okay, so it wasn't directly your fault."

"Do you have any idea what could have happened ? I can't -" Kyungsoo interrupted himself again. He felt miserable at the thought of putting Baekhyun through such an experience.

"From what Jongdae said you guys have slept together a few times right ?"

"Yeah."

Minseok looked away. "If he feels like you guys are... getting serious, he might be freaking out. His last serious relationship wasn't great."

"What happened ?"

"No one is completely sure. It was before he transfered here. He almost never talks about it, unless he's really drunk and there's a full moon, or you try to take him to Taco Bell. For some reason that makes him really, really sad and he lets bits out. I've heard him say he never wants to be in love again -"

_In love ?_ Thought Kyungsoo. It was definitely too soon to be waving the L word about. But at the same time, he realized in that moment that there'd been a warm feeling in his chest lately whenever they were together. Protective and soft, and glowing - a tiny bit. It wasn't love, not yet - but it felt _good_.

"You should talk to him," said Minseok, cutting through his thoughts. "If he wants to talk to you."

"I hope he does," he replied, getting up and heading for the door. "Thanks for not murdering me," he added before quickly exiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also get sad when I'm drunk and there's a full moon
> 
> I would be a very emo werewolf


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : memories of past verbal abuse and someone else self-harming

Baekhyun didn't go to class that day. He had planned to, but as he was walking to the campus, Luhan's words kept going through his brain.

_Sort through what's going on in your own head.._

That was a tall order, he thought with a sigh, and sat down on a bench by a park. There was a river nearby which he often liked to walk along. It was neither very deep nor very fast, and sometimes he thought of wading in and letting the current wash away every little piece of rust that had accumulated on his soul.

_You have stuff you need to figure out.._

That was probably true. Panic attacks did happen out of nowhere sometimes, but Baekhyun had a hunch his own episode had a reason. Could it have been Kyungsoo's fault ?

Instantly, he knew that wasn't the case. Being with Kyungsoo felt so good it was almost a sin -

"What the fuck Byun," realizing all of a sudden that maybe that specific feeling was the source of the whole dumb thing. But why would feeling good be reprehensible -

And then, in a flash, before his eyes he saw a tall guy with an undercut and heavy bags under his eyes, handsome in a way that reminded one of Hades.

_How can you say you love me when you can't even make me stop wanting to hurt myself,_ said the voice he had tried so hard to forget, clear as day, with all the layers of pain and anger that had made him want to scream.

But he never screamed. Haneul was going through too much already.

_This is your fault,_ said the voice from another moment in time, and Baekhyun remembered how he'd cried upon seeing the ugly slashes on his boyfriend's arm. _You should have been there. You could have stopped me -_

And Baekhyun on his bench in a sunny park, years away from the angry words and the guilting tone, began to cry again.

To his surprise, he hadn't got through more than a couple hiccups before a tissue appeared under his nose. He looked up through his tears and found Jongdae.

"Hey man," he said quietly and sat down by Baekhyun, putting a comforting arm around him and turning his attention to the apple blossoms around them, waiting patiently for his friend to cry himself out.

After some time, Baekhyun's tears dried up and Jongdae finally spoke.

"Do you want me to kick Kyungsoo's ass ?"

Baekhyun smiled weakly. As if Jongdae could ever - "No, this isn't his fault. I'm just - facing up to stuff."

Jongdae nodded slowly, then, with even more venom, "Do you want me to get the gang together and kick Haneul's ass ?"

"That would be - nice," said Baekhyun with a residual hiccup.

"Do you want some spaghetti ?"

"What -" But before he could finish asking _what the fuck,_ Jongdae pulled a handful of spaghetti out of his pocket and offered it to him.

" _WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK KIM JONGDAE -"_

"The cafeteria gave me too much spaghetti."

"So you put in your fucking _pocket_ ?"

"Well," Jongdae answered reasonably, "I didn't have any tupperware."

"And here I thought I was crazy thinking something smelled like marinara -"

"I take it you don't want any spaghetti, then."

"Of course I don't want your pocket noodles, you fucking lunatic."

Jongdae put the spaghetti back in his pocket, to the intense disgust of the entire world, and leaned back on the bench easily. "So what do you want ?"

Baekhyun pondered this for some moments, still very distracted by the surreal interaction and the new, extremely strange, information he had learned about his friend. But after a little while he realized that he really only wanted one thing. He got up, wincing.

"I need to talk to Kyungsoo."

And with a wave for the weirdo on the bench, he went off at a painful half-jog towards the campus. Where could he be ?

He veered off towards building C, and just as he turned the corner of the library, found himself face to face with a short young man wearing a blue and white jacket and a worried expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For real ? 
> 
> Like, honestly ?
> 
> I don't know either.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : mentions of past verbal abuse and toxic relationships

They stood and stared at each other for a minute. Kyungsoo shoulders sagged when he saw how terrible Baekhyun looked. He obviously hadn't slept much, and been crying recently. But then, like the sun coming out, he broke into a genuine smile.

"Hi," he said gently.

"Hi," answered Kyungsoo, smiling back. He patted his backpack. "I have your t-shirt."

"D'you have my wallet too ?"

"Yeah. Can we.. can we talk ?"

Baekhyun's smile faded, but he nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that. Do you want to come over to my place ?"

"Sure."

They walked in silence, with no tension between them but a vague expectant tingle in the pit of the stomach. Baekhyun didn't love talking about his feelings, but he'd wrestled himself into understanding it was necessary, and somehow the stress of what was coming was gone. It was pleasant to be side by side in the sunshine and fresh spring air. And whatever came next, at least he would have faced it head on.

"Primroses," said Kyungsoo all of a sudden as they passed a flowered yard.

"I like them," smiled Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo smiled back. "Me too."

Soon, they reached a large gray house with a shabby porch. "This is my grandma's place," Baekhyun explained. "She's always off on some adventure or other. Hasn't been home in weeks."

"So you live alone, mostly ?"

"Yeah," Baekhyun said as he held the door open, allowing Kyungsoo to enter into a large hallway that seemed more fitting for a very dusty castle. "D'you want something to drink ?"

"You bet. I hear you make a mean cup of coffee," he replied with a small smile.

Baekhyun grinned back but didn't say much more until they were both sitting in the large old-fashioned blue kitchen holding steaming cups of very nice black coffee.

"This is good," said Kyungsoo, unsure of where to start.

"Told you," Baekhyun smirked, and somehow Kyungsoo was entirely unable to feel annoyed.

There was another pause, then, both at the same time -

"Baek, I'm sorry if -"

"I'm really sorry -"

They stopped in surprise, and Kyungsoo frowned. "What are _you_ sorry about ? I'm the one who gave you a panic attack -"

"So you heard about that, huh."

"Minseok told me. And if it was my fault, I really am sorry," he added earnestly. "Did I.. did I pressure you ?"

"Pressure me ? God, no. You'd have to pressure me to stay away from your dick at this point."

Ah, there it was. Good old thirsty Baekhyun.

Said thirsty Baekhyun continued, "No it wasn't that. I just freaked myself out because.." He looked away, "Because you've been so nice to me. Like, you.. you keep asking if I like what you're doing to me."

"What's the point if you're not having fun ?"

"I know, I know. On paper, I know that - sort of."

"But ?"

Baekhyun took another deep breath. This was hard. "To be entirely honest I think I have.. issues. With the idea that.. anyone would care if I'm enjoying myself ?"

Kyungsoo frowned, but to Baekhyun's relief he didn't say anything.

"My last real boyfriend was.. He was depressed, more or less. And nothing I did -" He felt tears rising and fought them down. "Nothing I did could fix him. I was never enough. So I thought that.. the least I could do was, to let _him_ have fun, no matter - no matter how I felt about - what he was doing."

He kept his eyes fixed on his cup, unable to meet Kyungsoo's gaze. "It's been a couple years and I'm - I'm starting to think he maybe, um. Encouraged me to think like that. Sometimes I remember, all of a sudden - mean words. They come back when I don't expect it. The words he'd say when he was feeling low." He took a very shaky breath, "So when you.. when you say nice things, I can't help but think.. that I don't - deserve them. Like he used to say. Or, like.. imply."

"Baekhyun," Kyungsoo said very softly, and he looked up to find the dark eyes wet. "Baekhyun, that's abuse."

"Yeah.. yeah," he nodded. "Maybe. So anyway, if I'm a weirdo that's probably why," he added, trying to make his tone light, "I have a bunch of issues ! A bouquet, you could say -"

But Kyungsoo ignored his weak attempt at levity. "I don't think I can do much to make you understand how wrong he was to make you feel that way. I wish I could, though." His hand clenched around the cup. "He was so _wrong_."

"I think that's something I need to work on for myself," Baekhyun said with a sad nod. "If you don't.. if you don't want to deal with me while I figure it out, I'll understand." He looked back down into his cup, unable to meet Kyungsoo's eyes. Giving this up was harder than he'd expected. "Not like we're much of an item anyway," he added, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he felt. "I don't even know _what_ we are, I just.." But it was too hard to say out loud, and the last words came out as a whisper, "I think I like it."

"Baekhyun," the low voice was impossibly soft, "If you need me to give you some space, I'll do that." Baekhyun's stomach dropped. "But if you're okay with.. whatever this is between us, then I'm okay too."

Baekhyun looked back up. Kyungsoo's mouth was serious but his eyes were very tender, as though he could think of nothing better than to hang around a broken guy trying to scotchtape himself back together. There was a spike of ice in his stomach again, but it felt smaller and further away. Somehow, knowing where it came from took some its power away. Then Kyungsoo smiled.

"Besides, you keep talking about how much you like my dick - but I gotta say I'd be pretty sad at the thought of not seeing yours again either."

And Baekhyun laughed, both from the joke and from the relief of how _easy_ it had been, for the first time in so long, to say how he really felt and not have the person in front of him argue about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he will be okay again my sweet soft baby


	41. Chapter 41

"Hey Nini," said Kyungsoo softly, moving his bag off the cafeteria bench so Jongin could sit down. It was 10 am, so Jongin should have been as perfectly put together as usual, but he looked drawn and tired, and his shirt was creased.

Kyungsoo pushed a capuccino and a croissant at him. They weren't great, but he knew the protocol.

"Thanks," said Jongin lightly. He took a sip and a tiny bite, and sighed. "And thanks for meeting me here."

"You okay ?"

"It's just - it's awful." Tears brimmed in Jongin's eyes. "My supervisor says she's not convinced by the last 20 pages I gave her, and she thinks I should rewrite them."

"Fuck."

"It took me _weeks_ to write those pages. It's like - the central argument of the whole thesis, thrown out the window. I just.." He laid his head on the table, and Kyungsoo knew then that it was _bad_. Regular Jongin never would have touched that surface without disinfecting it first. "I don't know what to do," he groaned very low.

Fortunately, Kyungsoo had planned for this. He was familiar with the protocol. It wasn't the first time uni work didn't go as well as Jongin wanted it to. Because, to be fair, Jongin was a fucking perfectionist and nothing would ever be as good as he hoped. It would still be miles above everyone else's final draft, though.

Kyungsoo reached out and and began to run his hand through Jongin's hair, softly and slowly massaging his scalp. A very low but continuous groan of pain came out of Jongin's mouth and Kyungsoo knew to keep going. When his friend fell silent again, he spoke.

"Do you wanna build some legos Nini ?"

".. Yes, please."

So Kyungsoo reached into his backpack and removed the small box of Star Wars Lego he'd grabbed at the store before meeting up, a tiny microfighter Y-Wing.

"Resistance ?" Asked Jongin, chin still on the table, forlornly looking on as Kyungsoo opened the box and let the pieces fall out.

"Sorry, man, they didn't have any Empire stuff left."

"That's okay. Today's a write off anyway." Jongin finally straightened to take a sip of capuccino and help Kyungsoo organize the pieces by type and size.

They worked in silence for a little bit, until the tightness around Jongin's mouth loosened.

"So how's Taemin ?" Asked Kyungsoo lightly.

"Oh he's lovely," his friend answered immediately. "He took me on a date this weekend and it was so -" Jongin paused to ponder over a tiny white round piece. "You know how you imagine dates before you ever go on one ?"

"Uhh.."

"Like every moment is vibrating, and everything is bathed in this ethereal light, and you're with the most gorgeous person you ever dreamed of meeting and they make you feel so special ?"

"Hmm. Not really, to be honest."

"Well then, at the risk of sounding cliché, it was _magical._ "

As Jongin lapsed into a detailed description of his date with Taemin, a smile grew on his features and Kyungsoo knew that his friend was feeling much better. It was cute, and also a little lonesome. He'd never really had a date like that. Then again, no one had ever taken him on a date. He was usually the taker, not the takee.

He tried to remember if any of the dates he'd ever planned could have been described as magical, but nothing stood out. And little by little, he began to wonder if he was as good of a boyfriend as he thought he was.

But at least Jongin was having fun with the Lego, and when they finished the build and began _zoom_ ing it around and belting out the Force theme, all worries escaped his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jongin playing with legos during the SuperM online concert was pretty much the cutest thing ever
> 
> and Baekhyun's high note
> 
> he just came for me like that from his couch  
> how rude


	42. Chapter 42

"So you guys talked ?" Asked Chanyeol lightly, watching Kyungsoo run around Hyrule.

"Yeah, it was.. nice."

"That's the first time I've heard you say that about Baekhyun."

Kyungsoo paused in the middle of trying to tame a horse to consider this. "Really ?"

"Until a few weeks ago you didn't even call him by his name, just _the enemy._ "

"Huh." Somehow he'd kind of forgotten about that.

Chanyeol stretched himself out on the couch with a bag of potato snacks. They were shaped like pasta and Kyungsoo found that vaguely offensive, but they were also really tasty. "I guess love really is the greatest STD of all."

"I'm not in love though."

Chanyeol ignored him. "Or maybe it's like Sun Tzu said. Love and hate are two sides of the same coin."

"What coin ?"

"You, I suppose."

Kyungsoo put his controller down and turned to frown at Chanyeol. "So love and hate are two sides of me ? That makes no sense."

"No but like.. you thought you hated Baekhyun but maybe you loved him all along."

"I don't love him. And I'm pretty sure Sun Tzu never said anything remotely like that."

Chanyeol continued to ignore him. "Let's be real, having your dick in someone so often is bound to create some sort of intimacy."

"Uh-huh." It was useless. Kyungsoo returned to his controller and horse-taming devices.

"D'you think I should do that with Jongdae ?"

"Do _what_?"

"Get him to, like.. fuck me. So he develops feelings."

"That's the worst plan I've ever heard you come up with. Just tell him how you feel."

As Chanyeol was about to retort, the doorbell rang and Kyungsoo rose with a groan. If Chanyeol had invited Jongdae over to _his_ place, there'd be hell to pay. Or at least a few very dark looks in Chanyeol's direction.

But it wasn't Jongdae. It was a stranger, a young man about their age with thick, angry eyebrows, who towered above Kyungsoo and looked vaguely grumpy about something.

"Oh," he said when Kyungsoo opened the door, disappointment evident in his voice.

"Yes ?" Asked Kyungsoo, a little nettled.

"I'm uh - does Kim Junmyeon live here ?"

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at him. "Who's asking ?"

"Does he or doesn't he ?"

They stared at each other, tension growing until Chanyeol joined them, asking innocently, "You know Myeonnie ?"

The stranger looked at him in surprise, and the grumpiness fell away from his face, leaving only deep sadness. "I.. I _used_ to know him." And then before they could answer, he added, "I shouldn't have come. Sorry for bothering you."

Kyungsoo watched him go, eyes still narrowed, and when he'd disappeared down the stairs, shook his head.

"Well, that was weird," said Chanyeol and then returned to his potato snacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk why but I live for Chanyeol as a gigantic soft fluffy bottom 
> 
> Also, disclaimer : as far as I know Sun Tzu did not, in fact, say anything of the sort.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : oral sex in a (technically) public place

"Oh god -" Moaned Baekhyun, backed up against a wall in a corridor. Kyungsoo was on his knees in front of him, holding him in place by the thighs, and giving him the most mind-bending blowjob that had ever been given in the history of blowjobs ever, probably.

After their talk they'd agreed to keep things simple, and to just continue doing whatever felt good in the moment. And then a few days had passed where they'd both been super busy and unable to meet up. They'd texted a little bit, until earlier that day when Baekhyun had got a message from Kyungsoo telling him to come up to the back corridor of building D if he wanted to have some fun.

As soon as he'd arrived he'd been slammed into the wall and more or less mauled by his diminutive - what exactly ? Well, it didn't matter.

Because Kyungsoo apparently did not have a gag reflex, and he was very enthusiastic about making Baekhyun cum as soon as possible, so it was hard to worry about what they were to each other.

"Fu - uh- uh- uck," He could hear his own voice tremble as Kyungsoo took him down over and over again, fast and dirty. There were no gentle kisses along the head of his cock, but a sense of urgency that electrified his extremeties and made every movement blissful. Anyone could open a door and they'd be seen -

"Kyungsoo - I'm going to -" But Kyungsoo didn't slow down and in no time, he was swallowing down Baekhyun's cum. Some of it came back out his nostrils and he began to cough, pulling himself off and falling back onto his ass.

"Oh my god -" Mumbled Baekhyun again, frantically searching his pockets for a tissue. "Here -"

"Thanks," gasped Kyungsoo, inelegantly blowing his nose. When he'd regained a little bit of breath he began to laugh. "That was more cum than I expected."

"You okay ?"

"Yeah. Your dick is still hanging out though."

"Oh fuck -" Baekhyun hastily fixed himself, buttoning everything back up. The orgasm made him feel a little floaty and his fingers were still trembling so it took him a minute. When he was done, he grinned at Kyungsoo. "I take it you missed me."

Kyungsoo shrugged. "Never known a dick as good as yours."

"To be fair you haven't known any dicks before mine, have you ?"

"Of course I have. I'd never fucked a guy before you but -" He blushed suddenly, exciting Baekhyun's curiosity.

"But what ?"

"I don't think I want you to know just yet."

"Know what ?"

"Nevermind."

"Oh come on," pleaded Baekhyun. Kyungsoo rose shakily and picked up his backpack, ignoring him. "I gotta know." When Kyungsoo kept walking without answering, he leaped forward and blocked his path. "Tell me !"

"Baekhyun," growled Kyungsoo, "Drop it, or else -"

"Or else what ? I already came, you can't seduce me into being quiet," He threw his arms back, "You have no power here ! I'm invincible !"

And then he found himself pushed up against the wall again, Kyungsoo's growl rumbling against his chest and in his ears. "You think I couldn't make you cum over and over again until you were crying from oversensitivity, and loving every minute ?"

He leaned in close enough to bite Baekhyun's neck. "You think I can't make you want it again right now ?" Baekhyun gasped, trembling from Kyungsoo's hot breath so close to his ear. He was trapped between two strong arms, and they weren't even touching -

Kyungsoo's voice, somehow, got even lower, and his words went straight to Baekhyun's dick. "What do you think, baby ? Could I make you beg for more ?"

It turned out Baekhyun was definitely not invincible, and Kyungsoo could totally make him beg for more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zey are back at it again 
> 
> what secrets could Kyungsoo be hiding ? I'm not sure but i know it's
> 
> 1\. at least a little bit kinky  
> 2\. more than a little bit gay


	44. Chapter 44

"Some guy was looking for you the other day, Junmyeon," Kyungsoo said suddenly one day during lunch. Jongdae was eating with them, sitting right next to Chanyeol, and Baekhyun was on the other side of the table next to Junmyeon, eating a sandwich and throwing lewd looks at Kyungsoo every now and then.

It was a little bit surreal to all be eating together like this. Mostly it was weird to be too far away from Baekhyun to kiss him, and Kyungsoo had to distract himself somehow.

"Who was it ?" Asked Junmyeon with an air of mild surprise.

"I don't know. He was really tall. Like, taller than Chanyeol."

"Hey !" Said Chanyeol, while at the same time Jongdae leaned on the table and wiggled his eyebrows at Kyungsoo.

"Taller, you say ? Did you get his number ?"

"You're such a slut for tall guys," Baekhyun said around a mouthful of sandwich.

Chanyeol, meanwhile, seemed entirely oblivious. "He wasn't taller than me. He was just thicker."

"That's no good, then" replied Jongdae, returning to his sandwich. "Beanpole or nothing is how I roll." This time he winked straight at Chanyeol, who again seemed not to realize what was happening.

Junmyeon looked from one to the other and sighed before turning his attention back to Kyungsoo.

"Did you catch his name ?"

"No, I asked but he blew me off. He just wanted to know if you lived there."

"D'you owe him money ?" Asked Baekhyun. "Or was he maybe a hitman ? Are you part of the mafia, Junmyeon ?"

"Of course I'm not part of the mafia," replied Junmyeon looking faintly pleased that anyone would think he was dangerous enough to be part of the mafia.

Baekhyun rose suddenly and began waving wildly at someone on the other side of the cafeteria, who responded with a dimpled grin and soon joined the table.

"Everyone, this is Yixing. He's Jongdae's roommate."

"Hi everyone," he said with a pleasant smile. Kyungsoo liked him immediately. He seemed like someone who would sit with him on the couch instead of running around and doing dumb shit with the others. 

There was a round of handshaking and Yixing lingered a beat longer when Junmyeon introduced himself, repeating his name as though he were savouring its sound in his mouth. Then he sat down by Kyungsoo, across from Junmyeon, and the conversation veered to engineering, which was apparently a thing people studied, and how Junmyeon's chinese pronunciation was excellent.

"I learned a little with my ex," he said, blushing slightly. "But it's been a while, I'm really rusty."

"If you want some tutoring, don't hesitate to ask," replied Yixing with another very charming dimpled smile.

Kyungsoo, though he was curious to find out where this would go, had places to be. He finished his sandwich and extricated himself from the crowded bench.

"D'you have a class ?" Asked Baekhyun.

"Yeah, it's an elective - live drawing."

"I'll walk you," he replied, swinging off the bench and grabbing his backpack, "I have a swim practice soon."

They waved at the table, and as soon as they were out of the cafeteria Baekhyun reached for Kyungsoo's hand. They walked in pleasant silence to the arts' building, where Baekhyun gave him a quick kiss before running off to the gym with one last grin and wave.

Kyungsoo found it really hard to keep himself from smiling throughout the whole drawing class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk I think Junmyeon is definitely at least a little part of the mafia
> 
> the bunny mafia, that is


	45. Chapter 45

"So," said Baekhyun putting his book down and looking straight at Jongdae. Chanyeol had just left, after pretending to work and flirting with his friend for the better part of an hour, to the great annoyance of half the library.

"So what ?" Asked Jongdae innocently.

"What's happening," he waved his hand towards Chanyeol's chair, " _HERE_ ?"

Jongdae grinned. "Don't know what you're talking about, man."

"Oh come on. Don't play coy with _me._ " He glared at his friend. "I know you're up to something."

"I'm not up to anything ! I'm just.. living in the moment." But his grin was reaching shit-eating proportions.

"You're totally up to something, you spaghetti-toting freak. Don't pretend. I know you too well."

There was a short but intense battle of wills between them, Baekhyun putting into practise everything he'd learned from watching Kyungsoo. It served him well. In no time, Jongdae looked away and shrugged.

"I'm not _up_ to anything, I just kinda want him to end up in my bed."

"I had gathered as much. What _else._ "

"Why are you so invested all of a sudden ?" Countered Jongdae, crossing his arms defensively.

"Because Chanyeol is really close with my -" he stopped suddenly, and Jongdae raised an eyebrow.

"Your what ?"

"My -" He stopped again.

"What _is_ Kyungsoo to you, exactly ?"

With the unsettled feeling that he'd suddenly lost the upper hand on this exchange, Baekhyun paused. He pondered. And then he sighed. "I don't know what he is to me. All I know is I really, really like him and if you mess around with his best friend and break his heart, I won't -"

"Woah, woah," Jongdae raised his hands, "I'm not planning on breaking his heart."

That did not sound like Jongdae, who was notoriously cavalier about relationships, and Baekhyun pulled out his Kyungsoo impersonation again.

"I swear, man. I actually am serious about this." His face softened as he added, "And besides, I can see that this thing with Kyungsoo is doing you a lot of good. I would never jeopardize it. You mean too much to me."

And Baekhyun couldn't exactly stay suspicious if his friend was going to pull that kind of card.

"Aw, bro.."

"Dude.." Jongdae returned his emotional look with one of his own, and they stared at each other for a second before going in for a big hug across the table.

"I love you man," said Baekhyun, feeling a little bit choky.

"Man, I love _you,_ y'know ?"

"Excuse me ?"

They turned mid-hug to find an exhausted looking grad student by their table. She gave them a look over her glasses before continuing, "Either be quiet or take this outside."

And since it was really impossible to get any studying done _now,_ they went and got some ice-cream and sat by the river eating it, talking about nothing for hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I had too much white wine for dinner and am a little bit drunk and want to say
> 
> I appreciate yall
> 
> thanks for reading and kudo'ing and commenting you're all excellent ily


	46. Chapter 46

"Get off," mumbled Kyungsoo, half-asleep. He'd taken an impromptu nap on Baekhyun's bed in the middle of studying and apparently that had been invitation enough for Baekhyun to join him.

Admittedly, it was kind of nice being the little spoon, but Baekhyun was breathing right into his ear and it _tickled_.

"But you're comfy," Baekhyun mumbled back, shifting a little bit to snuggle closer. He was no longer breathing into Kyungsoo's ear so Kyungsoo didn't answer and let himself fall back into the pleasant torpor of a warm afternoon.

"Besides," he added sluggishly, "if you fall asleep on my bed you're just asking for cuddles."

Kyungsoo tried to groan but he really was too comfortable to be irritated. Baekhyun had an arm about his middle and everything was so pleasantly warm and soft. He wasn't quite asleep nor was he completely awake, and he could have stayed like that for hours.

Until Baekhyun shifted a little again and all of a sudden, there was a dick pressing into his ass. It wasn't hard but it was _there_ and it quickly became the only thing Kyungsoo could think about. Images wafted in and out of his brain, hazy and dream-like, each one making him harder than the last.

Baekhyun stretching _him_ out, with that mischievous grin of his and a hand on his cock.. Baekhyun above him, slowly entering him.. How would that even _feel_ ? It certainly looked amazing. Baekhyun's orgasms were always so intense.

_Baekhyun fucking him with that same wild abandon.._

His breath caught, and immediately, Baekhyun nuzzled closer and kissed his neck.

"Nightmare ?"

"N-no.."

Baekhyun's hand on his stomach lowered slowly and found him rock-hard. "Ah," he smiled, "A different kind of problem."

Without moving he reached into Kyungsoo's pants and began stroking him, gently but firmly. He'd been so turned on for so long that he came almost immediately, the warm solidity of Baekhyun's body against his back.

"Jesus," Baekhyun laughed quietly, still unmoving. "That was quick."

Kyungsoo reached for a tissue and cleaned himself up quickly before turning around in Baekhyun's embrace and kissing him hungrily.

"Damn," mumbled Baekhyun between kisses, "I gotta get you to nap more often."

He didn't move, but he watched in amusement as Kyungsoo pressed his whole body closer, rolling his hips against him and kissing up his neck to the sensitive spot under his ear.

"What got you so bothered, baby ?" He asked softly, barely holding back a moan. This interrupted Kyungsoo's enthusiastic enterprise and he shifted back a little to look Baekhyun in the eyes.

"I -" But he stopped and blushed.

Baekhyun put an arm around his back, pulling him closer again and taking over the neck kissing duties.

"I was picturing you," Kyungsoo started, breathing short.

"Mh-hm," Baekhyun sucked lightly on a spot near his collarbone.

"You ...in.. me.." the words came very quietly and Baekhyun, in surprise, pulled back.

"What ?"

Kyungsoo blushed again. "It just.. looks like a lot of fun. We don't have to though -" he added quickly. "But if.. you ever want to switch.. I'm okay with that."

"Wow," said Baekhyun slowly. That was unexpected.

"Have you ever topped ?"

"Not.. not in a really long time." Not since before Haneul. "He.. he used to act like it was degrading ? That I would even mention it."

"Oh fuck," said Kyungsoo. He pulled Baekhyun into his arms against his chest and, somehow that made everything a little less shit. "The more I hear about this guy the more I just want to shank him."

Baekhyun laughed weakly. "Do you even have a shank ?"

"I could make one. Homemade is best. Get the edges nice and jagged, I'd fuck his shit up," he growled.

"You'll have to get in line. Jongdae has dibs, and then Minseok."

"I'll stomp on whatever's left of him, then."

Baekhyun pulled back just enough to smile softly at him. His eyes looked a little bit wet, but his voice was strong as he answered, "Sounds like a date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jongdae's daughter is born 
> 
> this day is blessed 
> 
> all hail princess dinosaur ! 
> 
> (joking aside I am so happy for him u.u)


	47. Chapter 47

"If he says you are, then you ARE !!"

"It's not that simple -" Jongin raised his hands defensively. "Part of it is predestination, sure, but the person's _choice_ also matters."

Baekhyun looked at him in disbelief, then he shook his head. "It's NOT choice, I'm telling you - the Sorting Hat _knows_ , no matter what you do. Just look at Ron ! Or Draco ! He barely even touches them, you think they had any time to _choose_?"

"Fine," Jongin's voice rose an octave, "You know what ? You brought this on yourself !"

He turned and rummaged in his designer bag, producing a battered copy of _The Philosopher's Stone_. Kyungsoo facepalmed. Junmyeon sighed. Sehun, who was sitting at the table too, nodded enthusiastically. Kyungsoo had spotted him eating on his own, and based on one single five-minute interaction, had invited him to their table, to Junmyeon's embarassment. The poor guy's ears were still red, but Sehun seemed to be having a blast.

"That's what I'm saying !" His voice was also a little higher. "You have to return to the _text._ You can't just use the friggin _movies_ to justify your interpretation of cannon."

"It's not even interpretation," Jongin pushed his glasses up his nose, thumbed through to the relevant page and read out loud, much like a minister quoting the Bible :

"Page 130 paragraphe 2 : ' _Not Slytherin eh ?' Said the little voice. 'Are you sure ? You could be great you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that - no ? Well, if you're sure - better be -"_ Sehun joined him in the final triumphant yell of, " _GRYFFINDOR !!"_

Baekhyun crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. Junmyeon, meanwhile, muttered to Kyungsoo :

"You're telling me you never saw this coming ?"

"I figured the worst would be when he and Chanyeol met, like, for real," replied Kyungsoo. "I forgot how Jongin gets about Harry Potter."

"The real surprise here is Sehun."

His remark went entirely unheard because Baekhyun had now risen and was jabbing the table with his forefinger.

"If you think you can just FORSAKE your GRYFFINDORNESS like that in favour of friggin Ravenclaw -"

"Dude it's not that big a deal," said Kyungsoo, tugging on Baekhyun's sleeve. He took no notice, so Kyungsoo changed his strategy a little. "Wanna go make out somewhere private ?"

"That sounds good," replied Baekhyun, immediately bending down to grab his backpack. Kyungsoo pulled him away before anyone could say anything more.

"I like him," said Jongin, watching them go. "He's wrong and a dumbass but he's fun to argue with."

"Kyungsoo's definitely been with way worse."

"How long have they been dating ?" Asked Sehun.

"Technically they're just fuck buddies," Jongin slid his plate of fries to the middle of the table so they could all share. "But they're so married, it's not even funny."

Junmyeon stared off into the distance with the air of one who had seen way too many accidental penises. "I've.. heard things..."

"Well," said Sehun, delicately wiping his mouth with a paper towel, "At least you guys seem to have a lot of fun." He gave them a goofy grin. "I haven't gotten this worked up about Harry Potter in way too long."

"You should hang out with us more often, then. Stupid debates about pop culture are a weekly thing."

Sehun looked a little surprised at Junmyeon's words, but he smiled, and something about his simple, "If you'll have me," made Junmyeon blush right back up to his ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My next thesis will be Schopenhauer vs. The Sorting Hat : determinism in the wizarding world. 
> 
> That is, if I succeed in finishing this one while also spending hours sorting these stinky boys into their hogwarts houses. So here they are (this applies to the characters in this fic not to the irl stinky boys) :
> 
> Baekhyun - Gryffindor  
> Kyungsoo - Gryffindor  
> Jongin - Ravenclaw (the test gave him 47% Ravenclaw and 53% Gryffindor but he chose Ravenclaw)  
> Chanyeol - Hufflepuff  
> Jongdae - Slytherin (the test gave him Gryffindor the first three times but he didn't like the result so he redid it until he got Slytherin)  
> Junmyeon - Hufflepuff (he can and will go on for hours about how Hufflepuff make the best friends)  
> Minseok - Slytherin  
> Luhan - Hufflepuff (I love Slytherin x Hufflepuff couples)  
> Sehun - Slytherin  
> Yixing - Ravenclaw (to everyone's surprise) 
> 
> There are two more as yet unrevealed characters and they are Slytherin and Ravenclaw.


	48. Chapter 48

"Dude, look at this -"

"Mmhrg."

"Dude ! Come look !"

"I'm busy," Baekhyun waved Jongdae away. He wasn't really busy but he didn't feel like getting off his friend's couch. He realized very soon that he should have moved, because Jongdae bellyflopped onto him and shoved his phone into his face. Evidently, he'd been scrolling through tiktok for the past hour.

Baekhyun sighed and took the phone. He beheld two guys kiss each other.

"That's gay," he commented, handing the phone to Jongdae, who pushed it back at him.

"Watch it loop through, you noodle !"

"You've lost all noodle-calling privileges, you maniac."

"Just shut up and watch the video."

"What are you guys looking at ?" Yixing enquired cheerfully, coming from the kitchen and folding himself neatly in half over the back of the couch in order to better see the screen.

"You're squishing my dick," grumbled Baekhyun. Jongdae shifted a little bit, liberating said dick, and the video looped back to the beginning for the third time.

A handsome blond guy stuck his tongue out and Baekhyun groaned. Jongdae flicked his forehead.

"Read the fucking captions."

_This is my best friend,_ said the first caption, on a video of a cute dark-haired guy eating a slurpee.

_We've known each other for years and always low-key flirt w/ each other,_ read the second caption, over a video of the two guys rough-housing.

_I have a major crush on him._ They were now driving some place together.

"Oh my gosh," said Yixing, "He's going to kiss him, isn't he !"

_I'm going to kiss him._

"I knew it," he squealed.

The next clip was of the two guys side by side starting to do some tiktok dance challenge. But instead of going through the motions, the blond guy turned and pulled the dark one into a shy kiss, which was immediately returned.

"Awww," Yixing leaned down to kiss the top of Baekhyun's head. "That was adorable. Thank you," he added before returning to the kitchen.

"So ?"

"So what ?" Baekhyun looked straight back at Jongdae, whose eyes had gotten worryingly wide. He was definitely up to something.

"I'm going to do that !"

"First of all, I'm taken -"

"Not to _you_ , dumbass. To Chanyeol !"

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at him. "You're saying _Chanyeol's_ your best friend ? Wow. That's _nice._ "

"Oh my god," Jongdae groaned, pushing himself up. "That is so not the point." His knee was still dangerously close to Baekhyun's balls, so he decided to take things seriously for half a minute.

"But for real, you're just going to kiss him ? Like, out of the blue ?"

"Yeah ! And get tiktok famous as well as some dick."

"That's a terrible idea. Why are all your ideas terrible ?"

"He'll never see it coming !"

"That's why it's a terrible idea ! Ask before you kiss someone, jeez."

Jongdae paused. "Hm. I hadn't considered the consent aspect."

It was Baekhyun's turn to flick his friend's forehead. "Always consider the consent aspect."

"Damn. I have to rethink my strategy."

"You don't need a strategy, just tell him how you feel."

"That's lame," pouted Jongdae.

"You're lame," returned Baekhyun.

That, of course, devolved into a wrestling match, which Yixing joined with a shout of glee and, to everyone's immediate regret, an open bottle of beer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually inspired by a chanbaek one-shot I started writing where Chanyeol sees the tiktok videos and decides to try it on confusingly flirtatious Baekhyun 
> 
> it featured Baekhyun watching Chanyeol make his breakfast and saying "I'd like you to spread me over that piece of toast" 
> 
> Which is a strong contender for dumbest thing I've ever written and also the reason why I stopped writing that one 
> 
> But I'm glad I got to reuse that idea cause it cute 
> 
> ngl I lowkey live for those videos


	49. Chapter 49

"What do you mean you don't like horror movies ?!"

Kyungsoo shrugged. "I don't see the point. Why would I _want_ to feel unsettled ? I already have enough trouble sleeping as it is."

He punctuated this with a yawn as Baekhyun began going on about how truly great horror was a mirror of the human experience and some shit like that, and Kyungsoo zoned out a little. Baekhyun had a nice voice. Very soothing. He nodded and uh-huh'ed every now and then, and that was enough.

He only realized he should have paid more attention when Baekhyun cuddled up to him and gave him a soft thank you kiss.

"For what ?"

"For agreeing to watch the Babadook with me," Baekhyun gave him a surprised look, and Kyungsoo didn't have the heart to tell him he really didn't want to watch the Babawhatsit and in fact had no idea that he'd agreed to anything.

Instead, he seized the opportunity. "But afterwards you have to watch Haikyu with me."

Baekhyun grimaced and shifted away from Kyungsoo. "Seriously ? Why would I _want_ to watch people who aren't even real run around after a ball ?"

"Truly great sports anime is a mirror of human experience," replied Kyungsoo, fighting a grin.

"Fine," Baekhyun groaned, "But I'm making a note of the fact that you're ready to use anything you can against me."

Kyungsoo tossed a stray pencil at him. It hit him square on the forehead. "You'd do the same."

At this point, Junmyeon came out of his room in nothing but sweatpants. He froze when he saw Baekhyun on the couch, and slowly moonwalked back into his room. When he reappeared moments later, he was wearing an oversized sweater and a pronounced blush.

"Hi, Baekhyun. Didn't realize you were here," he added, with a pointed look at Kyungsoo.

"Do _you_ like horror movies, Junmyeon ?" Baekhyun asked, leaning on the back of the couch and looking up at him with the tiniest hint of pout. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, but the move was very effective as Junmyeon immediately ceased to look mildly annoyed.

"Yeah, actually."

And that was how, half an hour later, Kyungsoo found himself on the couch with a lap full of Baekhyun who, much like an adult golden retriever seemed to have no idea that he was way too big to be anyone's lapdog, and Junmyeon on the floor, all three of them watching an entirely other horror movie than the one he'd promised to watch in the first place. At least there was pizza involved, and since he couldn't really move, Baekhyun was feeding it to him.

When he was full and on pretense of being scared, he smushed his oily face into Baekhyun's neck. In the ensuing chaos he missed a whole possession scene, so overall, he considered the evening a win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to have to write a chapter where the whole of the beagle line piles onto Kyungsoo for cuddles 
> 
> I think the world needs it 
> 
> I'm willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring it to you 
> 
> and by ultimate sacrifice I mean I'm going to stay up until 3 am writing about these idiots cuddling.


	50. Chapter 50

"Holy shit dude, what happened ?"

"Huh ?" Kyungsoo paused in the middle of putting on a fresh t-shirt. Chanyeol, still in his workout gear, was pointing straight at his chest. "Oh." It was covered in little red marks.

"Are you having a reaction ? Is it the redbull I made you try ?" Chanyeol came a step closer, looking worried.

"No, it's -"

"Hang on, do you have a nut allergy ? Cause the energy bar I gave you yesterday totally had nuts in it."

"I'd have had a reaction yesterday if that was the case." Kyungsoo pulled his t-shirt on, trying to hide his blush, and Chanyeol's expression cleared a little.

"So wait, then.. Are they hickeys ?"

"Yes," Kyungsoo mumbled into his sweatshirt as he pulled that on too. The workout had been intense and he'd totally forgotten about the fact that Baekhyun had come over the previous night, on pretense of working, and done anything _but._ He'd been in a mood. A very sexy mood.

"Oh my god," Chanyeol facepalmed, "Well thank god you're not having a reaction, I guess but - jesus. That's a lot of hickeys. You look like you got mauled by an octopus."

To be fair Baekhyun had spent the better part of half an hour on them.

"Does it hurt ?"

"No," replied Kyungsoo. "I literally just forgot about them."

"Y'know," said Chanyeol, returning to his workout bag to fish out deodorant, "I never would have taken Baekhyun for the kind of guy who leaves hickeys."

"Really ? What kind of guy did you take him for ?"

"I don't know, just.. for all his posing, he seems like he'd be a really sweet and soft bottom."

Kyungsoo blushed. Baekhyun, last night, had been none of those things. Chanyeol noticed his expression, and there was a note of mingled glee and awe in his voice when he asked,

"Hang on. Does Baekhyun _top_?"

"I just don't think it makes sense to categorize people like that," replied Kyungsoo evasively. "Nobody is exclusively top or bottom. There's preferences but why limit yourself -"

"Kyungsoo." Chanyeol gave him a look. "Was Baekhyun inside _you_ last night or was he not ?"

"Sort of."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SORT OF-- Either he fucked you or he didn't fuck you ! It's not complicated !!"

Kyungsoo sighed. "Fine. He fingered me, okay ? He had four fingers all up in there and he made me cum so hard I blacked out for a minute."

That did it. Chanyeol gaped at him. Then he sat down on the bench, still gaping, and ran a hand through his hair. Kyungsoo was vaguely worried he'd have more questions, because he didn't want to keep explaining.

To his relief, apart from a slowly growing grin, a shake of the head and a very quiet but admiring, "Damn, Soo," Chanyeol left it at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baekhyun son of Cthulu confirmed
> 
> (still no deal on the tentacle hentai though)


	51. Chapter 51

"Relax, man."

"That's easy for you to say -" Kyungsoo grunted.

Baekhyun, propped up on his elbows right above him, looked a little puzzled. "You took four fingers last time, this should be a cinch."

Although he did really want to go through with this, there was no denying that it took some getting used to, thought Kyungsoo as he shifted a little, trying to give Baekhyun a better angle to push in.

"How is your dick so much bigger than four fingers," he groaned. Baekhyun wasn't even in ! He was just hanging out down there, dick lightly pressed up against the rim of Kyungsoo's asshole. It was weird, was what it was. Why was it this uncomfortable ? It had been so fucking amazing the other day. And they'd been prepping for hours !

"To be fair I do have the fingers of a pianist."

"What does that even -" Baekhyun pushed in a fraction and he felt his whole body scrunch up.

"Hey, how about a change of tactic ?"

"What are you thinking ?"

"Well," said Baekhyun with the air of someone who was about to suggest something really dumb, "You know how doctors try to distract you before giving you a vaccine ?"

"Oh my god."

Baekhyun's grin grew as he asked, "So where d'you go on your last holiday ?"

"I'll rip your balls out if you try anything like that," growled Kyungsoo.

To his surprise, and although he ignored the threat, Baekhyun kissed him on the forehead before retreating and lying down on his side next to him. "You know," he said softly, "We don't have to do this now."

"But I want to -"

"Your brain wants to. Your body's freaking out."

Kyungsoo glared at Baekhyun, mostly because it was almost more annoying to hear him make sense than to deal with his usual shenanigans. After a minute, he sat up and sighed.

"C'mere," said Baekhyun, patting himself. Silently, Kyungsoo curled up against him and sighed again.

"It's not a big deal. Some days it just doesn't work. We can try again later."

"I know.. It was just so good last time.. I thought this was the next logical step."

Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair. "There aren't any logical steps though. There's what feels good and what doesn't, and you don't have to do anything that doesn't feel good."

Kyungsoo sighed again, but it was less in frustration and more from relief. Baekhyun was right. He snuggled closer and put an arm around the other, pulling him close.

"Thanks," he muttered after a little while.

"What for ?" The smile was evident in Baekhyun's voice.

Kyungsoo looked up at him. "I'm not sure," he replied, but Baekhyun leaned down to kiss him and he felt like maybe, little by little, he was learning what there was to be thankful for in this whole weird situation.

"I could always suck your dick."

".. Yeah, alright," shrugged Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun gave him another kiss and a grin before going down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not all sunshine and prostates
> 
> also sometimes it's easier to give a particular piece of advice than take it


	52. Chapter 52

"What's wrong ?"

"I don't know," said Junmyeon, shifting in his seat. They had gathered at some bar with Minseok, Luhan, Baekhyun, Yixing and Jongdae to celebrate Minseok getting a research grant, but Junmyeon was notoriously skittish about places he wasn't already familiar with. "This stool feels weird -"

But he didn't get any further, because at that moment a bartender appeared next to their table with a tray of cocktails which he promptly sent flying when he saw who was sitting there.

"Oh my God -" He stuttered, and Kyungsoo recognized him suddenly.

"Hey ! You're the guy from the mafia !"

"What ?" The bartender paused as he was picking up the largest pieces of glass. "I'm not mafia - Hey wait. You're the rude dude ! From the apartment !"

The group stared from the bartender to Kyungsoo in disbelief, and Junmyeon seemed just about ready to combust.

"Yifan," he said, ears bright red, "What are you doing here ?"

The bartender blushed too. "I work here."

"I mean - _here_ ?"

"I - I came back." Yifan took a mop from one of his colleagues with a grateful nod, and as he cleaned up the spill, he continued sheepishly. "I.. I came by your place the other day. Your mom gave me the address."

"Why didn't - how did - Oh my god," Junmyeon suddenly buried his face in his hands. "I can't do this," he looked at Kyungsoo with tears in his eyes. "I can't - I can't -"

"Okay," said Kyungsoo calmly, "Let's get you some fresh air."

He guided his friend out of the bar, Baekhyun shadowing them, and once outside they sat Junmyeon down on the curb. When he'd regained a little composure he gave a shaky, slightly tearful laugh.

"Well that was ridiculous."

"What happened, dude ?"

"That's my ex," Junmyeon explained, wiping sweat and tears from his face. "I'm sorry I overreacted like that, I just wasn't expecting -"

"You didn't overreact," said Baekhyun quietly. "Don't apologize, Myeon."

"Baekhyun's right," Jongdae joined in. He'd been waiting, unnoticed, some feet away, and he now drew closer to offer Junmyeon some chocolate from his pocket. "He asked us to check if you'd be okay to talk to him. He says he'd like to explain himself if you're up to it."

Kyungsoo laid a protective hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to."

"I think I need to, though. If you guys don't mind staying with me," replied Junmyeon with a nod at Jongdae, who disappeared into the bar and returned with Yifan. Although he was still intimidatingly tall, he seemed to shrink a little as he approached them. Junmyeon rose shakily to face him, and Kyungsoo stepped back a foot, the better to launch himself at the bartender if need arose.

"I'm really sorry, Junmyeon. I had no idea you'd be here."

"It's okay - I didn't know you'd be here either. I thought you were still in China."

"I got back last month. My uncle bought this bar and offered me a job. I thought I'd look you up so I asked your mom for a way to contact you and she gave me your address." He smiled ruefully. "She seemed to think if I stopped by and surprised you, you'd be swept off your feet and agree to marry me or something -"

"Jesus, mom," muttered Junmyeon.

"She hasn't changed." Yifan's expression softened and, without noticing, he came a step closer. "You.."

Junmyeon looked up at him. "Have I changed, Yifan ?"

"I - I don't know. You look - _good_. Like, really good. But I think I've been gone too long," his voice broke a little as he said this. "I'm sorry I left."

"It wasn't your fault, though."

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it work long distance, what with - everything."

"I'm sorry too."

Yifan seemed on the verge of adding something more, but he caught himself at the last moment and said simply, "I have to get back to work. If you want to talk some more, I'd .. like that. I - I miss you."

He disappeared back into the bar before Junmyeon could answer.

"Well fuck," said Jongdae, and the tension deflated all of a sudden. Junmyeon laughed weakly, and Kyungsoo latched onto his back with Baekhyun when they saw the tears threatening to return.

"You okay ?"

"I think I need to go home. I'm - I'm okay, though."

"We'll escort you," said Baekhyun, waving Jongdae back into the bar. "You go celebrate with Seokkie. We'll make sure this one's alright."

As they were walking home, one on each side of Junmyeon, Baekhyun said suddenly, "He's right about one thing, though. Kyungsoo _is_ a rude dude."

So Kyungsoo gave chase, and in spite of all Baekhyun's running practise, caught him immediately and gave him a forceful nuggie. The unholy shrieks this produced made Junmyeon smile, not the same weak and empty smile he gave them when he was upset and didn't want them to worry, but the sincere smile of a parent watching their kids do dumb shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not have one ship for Suho
> 
> I have a fucking fleet
> 
> Is it because the news of his enlistment makes me emo ? Perhaps. Regardless, EVERY BODY and their mothers wants to get with him. He is the best boi. 
> 
> (also happy brthday to sweetest and also bestest boi Baekhyun)  
> (his vlive tho)  
> (I died)


	53. Chapter 53

"How the fuck - oh god - are you so _good_ at this ?" Baekhyun asked one afternoon, not really expecting an answer because Kyungsoo was very busy with his mouth.

To his surprise and mild despair, Kyungsoo paused right in the middle of running his tongue fully up Baekhyun's dick to ponder this.

"Well -" he started, turning his attention to Baekhyun's inner thigh, punctuating his words with kisses, "- when I first realized that I was attracted to men as well as women," he nipped very lightly and Baekhyun groaned, feeling both very curious and ready to explode unless something happened to his dick in the very near future, "I had Chanyeol take me to a gay bar."

_Oh, the possibilities_ , thought Baekhyun, and then Kyungsoo got a little closer to his crotch and his brain shortcircuited.

"I quickly found out," Kyungsoo continued, kissing delicately _everywhere but Baekhyun's dick,_ "That men really, really like my mouth - for some reason."

"Because it's _\- oh god -_ fucking - magic," Baekhyun panted. This was terrible. This was just awful - why the fuck did he keep coming back for more when he knew that Kyungsoo liked to tease him like this-

And then Kyungsoo took him down fully, letting Baekhyun hit the back of his throat. He almost cried from the relief, and he also almost came right there and then. But as quickly as it started, the attack stopped and Kyungsoo returned to his gentle torture of kissing up and down his dick.

"I was making out with this guy and he said something about how my lips were to made to suck cock," he gave Baekhyun a filthy grin. "I was intrigued."

"Oh my god," Baekhyun groaned.

"So I followed him to the bathroom," continued Kyungsoo, mouthing at the head of Baekhyun's cock. "And I got on my knees, and I did exactly what he told me to."

"Fu-uh-uck -" This was so fucking hot. Baekhyun wondered if there was any way he could cum just from hearing these dirty stories in that wonderful deep, slightly roughened voice.

Then Kyungsoo added, "He came on my face and I knew I'd found a new hobby. I went back to that bar pretty often after that. Gave a _lot_ of blowjobs."

He ran a finger up Baekhyun's dick and smiled at him. "What d'you think, baby ? Was he right ?"

But he didn't wait for an answer, which Baekhyun could never have formulated in anything resembling words anyway, and finally, finally, took him back into his mouth and began to bob his head up and down, hollowing his cheeks for maximum effect.

It took Baekhyun only a couple minutes to cum, and about fifteen to start recovering, curled up against Kyungsoo's chest.

"Fucking hell," he groaned eventually. "Did you really do all that ?"

"Only for a couple months. I was getting worried about STDs anyway, then I started dating someone and I figured she probably wouldn't approve of me blowing guys in between dates."

"No wonder you're so good at blowjobs," said Baekhyun, pushing himself up slowly to straddle Kyungsoo and pepper tired kisses up his neck.

"What are you doing ?"

"What does it look like ? It's your turn -"

But Kyungsoo cupped his face and looked him in the eyes. "Baekhyun, do you _really_ want to keep going or are you doing this because you think you owe me for making you feel good ?"

Baekhyun froze. "A.. bit of both ?"

"How much of the second one ?"

".... About 80%." Answered Baekhyun, letting himself slump down onto Kyungsoo's chest. "Shit. Fuck. Damn it. I _hate_ it that my brain does this."

Kyungsoo ran his hand through his hair, gently petting him until his mucles relaxed. It was both comforting and comfortable, and Baekhyun felt his frustation ebb away and his eyelids close little by little.

He could always resume hating himself after a nice nap, he thought. When he woke up, still safe in Kyungsoo's warm embrace, the only thing on his mind was food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it for Kyungsoo's secret I suppose....
> 
> or is it ?
> 
> is he perhaps still more of a hoe than we thought ...? 
> 
> (honestly idk the amount of planning I do for this fic is minimal.)
> 
> Hope you're all safe and healthy ! <3


	54. Chapter 54

"Have you seen Baekhyun today ?" Jongdae asked Kyungsoo lightly as he sat down on the grass by Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo was lying on his back and enjoying the sun, and he only felt marginally well-disposed towards Jongdae after hearing Chanyeol gush about him for the better part of the morning. "No."

"Huh. We had a class together but he never showed."

"What's his major, by the way ?" Asked Chanyeol, picking a daisy and handing it to Jongdae, who ate it.

"Philosophy."

An astonished silence greeted this new piece of information.

"I guess that does explain a lot," said Kyungsoo after a while.

"Like what ?"

"Well for one, all the books he reads have philosophy in the title."

"Hang on, back up," Chanyeol flapped a hand at him, "You didn't know Baekhyun's major ?"

Kyungsoo shrugged. "It's never really come up before."

"Sucking dicks is not very conducive to constructive conversation," said Jongdae with a grin.

"You'd be surprised."

"Oh my god," groaned Chanyeol, "I don't know if I'm ready to know -"

"So you're a philosophy major too, Jongdae ?"

"No, I do biology."

"Oh, of course."

"You'd know that if you ever listened to me," hissed Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo tossed him a twig. Chanyeol leaned over to avoid it and conveniently fell into Jongdae's lap. 

"That's how I know Minseok, he's a TA for one of my labs," continued Jongdae unperturbed, running a hand through Chanyeol's hair. "I tried to set him and Baekkie up last semester because they make such a fucking power couple - visually, I mean, right ? But they only fucked once and Baekhyun said he'd rather just be friends."

"So what the fuck are _you_ doing in a philosophy class ? And how'd you know Baek ?"

"We have to take an epistemology and ethics module during our whole degree. First day of second year I walked into the class and he seemed like he'd let me copy his notes so I sat down next to him. He only agreed when I promised to buy him a drink."

Kyungsoo poked the grass with his shoe. "Did you.. sleep together ?"

"No, we made out a couple times at parties but it always felt weird." Jongdae gave him a mischievous look. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried -"

"And you're a much cuter couple than he and Minseok ever were."

"We're not a -"

"But I'm a little worried. He rarely misses a class. I thought he might be with you."

"Well, did you text him ?"

"No. I figured you could stop by his place and check. I have to go to work soon."

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at Jongdae, who withstood the glare with a serene smile as he played with Chanyeol's nostrils. "Fine," he grumbled. He did kind of want to see Baekhyun anyway, and from what Jongdae had said, it wouldn't hurt to check up on him.

Maybe he could ask Baekhyun for advice on how to annoy Jongdae, he told himself as he grabbed his backpack and left the sunlit park in the direction of Baekhyun's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO when this whole pandemic-lockdown thing started, I watched so many vine compilations as a way to like - cope. 
> 
> And I blame that for Jongdae's crackhead energy in this fic


	55. Chapter 55

"Oof," said Kyungsoo when Baekhyun opened the door. He looked terrible. His hair was sticking up as though it had been licked by a whole herd of cows, and his under eye bags were deeper than Kyungsoo had ever seen them.

"Hi Soo," he said, voice rough and tired, standing aside to let him in. Kyungsoo set his bag on the doorway bench as always, and gave him a concerned look.

"What's wrong ? Are you sick ?"

"No, I just -" But he didn't finish and his eyes brimmed with tears, which he pawed at with his pyjama sleeve. "I'm having a bad day. Didn't sleep much."

"Do you wanna tell me about it ?"

"I don't - I don't know."

"Okay," Kyungsoo replied. "Well, I kind of want some hot chocolate. Can I use your kitchen ?"

Baekhyun nodded, face still swathed in his pyjama, and followed him through a tall doorway to the familiar large blue kitchen. There was an alarming pile of dishes in the sink but Kyungsoo found a clean pan and a single mug, so he set about heating up some milk and stirring it into a liberal amount of cocoa. When it was ready he set the mug in front of Baekhyun, who had folded himself up onto a chair and was sniffing dejectedly, then he returned to the sink and got to work.

He hummed as he washed up the dishes of more than a week, and soon broke out into full singing. Baekhyun didn't move from his seat but the cocoa vanished little by little.

"Have you eaten today ?" Kyungsoo asked when he'd finished the dishes and a soulful rendition of Can You Feel The Love Tonight.

"No."

"Noodles it is, then." He rummaged around the cupboards until he'd found a box of dinosaur shaped pasta, extracted some questionable looking cheese from the fridge and set about making a small feast of garlicky, peppery, cheesy pasta.

While it cooked he cleared the table of the clutter that had accumulated, wiped down all the surfaces he could reach and set out two plates, which he filled up generously. Baekhyun took the fork he was handed and tentatively began to eat. After a few bites he sighed in relief.

"Thanks. I needed this."

"What happened ?" Kyungsoo asked quietly.

"I got a call from my parents last night."

"Oh.. is everything ok ?"

"Yeah, they're travelling with my sister and her fiancé. Sounds like they're having a blast." Baekhyun paused to take another bite of pasta, which seemed to give him the strength to continue. "They.. don't know."

"That you're gay ?"

Baekhyun nodded. "They always ask when I'm going to bring a girl home or stuff like that. Especially now my sister is going to get married. They keep asking when my turn is."

"Do you not feel safe coming out to them ?"

"Not.. _not-_ safe, exactly. But like.. My mom asked how my grandma was doing," he gestured vaguely at the kitchen, "and she said that it makes her sad that her mother lives like this."

".. In this house ?" Kyungsoo gave him a confused look, then something dawned on him. "Oh hang on. Is your grandmother gay too ?"

"She's been dating women pretty consistently every since my grandpa passed away."

"Wow," said Kyungsoo, sitting back in his chair. "And it makes your mom _sad_ ?"

Baekhyun shrugged. "That's what she says. And I know it could be so much worse but I.. I don't want to make my parents sad, y'know ?" His eyes began to brim with tears again, and Kyungsoo decided to change the subject.

"Jongdae ate a daisy this morning."

"He - what ?"

"Chanyeol gave him a daisy and he ate it. It was fucking weird."

To his relief, this made Baekhyun smile. "Oh my god, Jongdae."

"He was worried about you."

"He's always worried about me," Baekhyun said with a sad smile. He hadn't finished his pasta but he didn't seem like he wanted to keep eating. Satisfied that he'd at least gotten some food into his system, Kyungsoo put the rest in some tupperware while Baekhyun watched from his chair, curled up as tightly as he could.

"Now you have dinner for tonight."

"Thank you," he replied very quietly, hugging his knees to himself. "Thanks for - all this." He gave a mighty sniff. "I'm sorry you have to take care of me."

"I don't have to. I _want_ to."

"It's rotten work," answered Baekhyun from the safety of the ball he'd curled up into.

"Not to me," said Kyungsoo softly, coming closer. He pushed a strand of hair off Baekhyun's forehead, and when their eyes met, he added, "Not if it's you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl I did not, in fact, make up the "it's rotten work"/"not to me, not if it's you" interaction (i fuckin wish) 
> 
> it's actually from the Oresteia, a trilogy of plays written by Aeschylus in the 5th century BC 
> 
> I've wanted to include it it in a piece of writing for AGES. 
> 
> Ah and this has nothing to do with anything but there is an ongoing flash fic challenge, masterlist over here : https://twitter.com/tiny__sparks  
> I've been reading them all and they're pretty great, highly recommend


	56. Chapter 56

Baekhyun looked entirely back to normal the next day when he joined the lunch table where Kyungsoo, Chanyeol and Jongin were sitting. Jongdae followed soon after and he nodded subtly at Kyungsoo's raised eyebrows, so Kyungsoo relaxed a little.

"Here you go," he said, adding a muffin to Baekhyun's lunch tray, which only carried a can of soda and a popsicle.

"What -"

"Here's another," Jongdae interrupted, putting another muffin on the tray. He grinned at Kyungsoo, who returned his smile.

Baekhyun seemed about to protest so Jongdae flicked his forehead. "You have to eat for real, dumbass."

"Do you guys have classes this afternoon ?" Enquired Jongin, poking at the homemade potato salad in his Hogwarts lunchbox.

"Nope, free as a bird," Jongdae winked at Chanyeol.

Baekhyun shook his head, mouth full of muffin. "No, but I have to practise with Minseok. The show's coming up pretty soon."

"Oh - you're doing the spring International Society show, too ?" Jongin looked surprised.

"Mmrf," was the inelegant reply, then, "You as well ?"

"No, but my boyfriend is."

Baekhyun lit up. "Is he in performance club ? Do I know him ?"

"No, he's doing a dance solo."

"OH MY GOD ! Your boyfriend is the sex god ?"

"There's a sex god ?" Jongdae turned his head in the middle of feeding Chanyeol a french fry, inadvertently smearing ketchup on his face.

"Yeah I told you about him - We saw him practise once on the stage and he was shirtless and, like. The man has been blessed by Eros. He _radiates_ sex."

Jongin laughed and Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at Baekhyun, who ignored him. "That's actually a really good description of his stage presence," said Jongin. "But in person he's way less intense and just - adorable."

"What's his name ?"

"Taemin."

"Taemin," Baekhyun repeated, and Jongdae echoed him. "Taemin... That's a good name. It fits him."

"How so ?"

"Well, like - I couldn't see him with the name Kyungsoo for instance."

Kyungsoo scowled, feeling ambivalent about this whole sex-god thing, and Jongin pondered Baekhyun's statement. "I mean, I guess that's true, but it's also cause I know them both and they're so different. If you just met Kyungsoo and he said his name was Taemin, you'd think it fit him right ?"

"No, I think Kyungsoo is Kyungsoo in all of the alternate dimensions."

"If you believe in alternate dimensions," intervened Chanyeol, "you have to believe that there's one where he's Taemin."

Jongdae nodded. "That means there's also one where _you're_ Kyungsoo and _he's_ Baekhyun."

"Damn, I wish. Means I'd have a gigantic dick."

The effect was immediate. Chanyeol choked on a fry, Jongdae and Jongin howled with laughter, Kyungsoo facepalmed and Baekhyun looked extremely pleased with himself.

"Why the _fuck_ would you -" Started Kyungsoo, but Baekhyun leaned in really close to whisper menacingly :

" _The world needs to know how thick you are."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE WORLD. NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE. 
> 
> I was watching Kyungsoo vines all evening yesterday because I miss him and.... 
> 
> that bit in EXO Ladder where he had all the deer following him around 
> 
> That is all. I love him.


	57. Chapter 57

"Wanna come over to Yixing and Jongdae's place later ?" Baekhyun whispered out of nowhere over his book on hegelian metaphysics.

"Sure," replied Kyungsoo, not looking up from his notes.

"Yixing went to the dollar store."

"Uh-huh."

"You know what that means."

"No."

Baekhyun threw him an injured look. "It means he got the good kush."

"The - what ?"

"Oh my god. Do you even know what vines are ?"

Kyungsoo stared at him. This was going way too fast for his brain. He latched on to the word _vine_ and from his deepest foggiest memories of 2014, mustered a : "... broom broom, I'm in me mum's car ?"

"Okay," Baekhyun sighed in relief. "But I know what we're gonna be watching with Yixing."

"Hang on," said Kyungsoo a little later, while they were packing up their bags, "did you say something about kush ?"

"Yeah, Yixing gets the best weed."

"Hmm." Kyungsoo didn't say anything more but he felt himself collapse inwards a little, and he was still chewing his lip when, once outside, Baekhyun asked :

"Are you okay ? You look you're going to hurl."

"What ? No I'm -" He stopped in his tracks. "Actually, no, I do feel a little weird."

Baekhyun immediately stopped and came closer to him. "Tummy weird or feels weird ?"

Kyungsoo hesitated. "I don't think I want to go smoke weed," he finally said.

"Oh. Then do you want to go get some ice-cream ?"

Ice-cream sounded infinitely better than smoking, so Kyungsoo nodded and followed Baekhyun to a little gelato shop tucked away close to the park. They got two scoops of mint chip each and sat down on a bench to eat it.

"Are you not okay with weed ?" Asked Baekhyun lightly after a little while.

"I - I don't mind other people smoking it." Kyungsoo sighed as he tried not to think about his childhood. "I just.. My sister is a junkie. She's two years older and she smoked a lot when we were teenagers. She's gone on to.. harder stuff and we don't see her anymore."

"Fuck."

"I _know,_ mentally, that weed is not the same as like, heroin or whatever.. But I still can't really deal with it." He took a big bite of ice-cream and then added, "My mom smokes too."

"That's gotta be kind of weird."

Kyungsoo nodded. "On some levels she's a great parent. When I told her I was bi, her answer was literally 'didn't you tell me that last year already ?'" Kyungsoo smiled as he remembered the interaction, and Baekhyun gave him a fond look. "But like... She once gave me a bong for christmas. Also, it has nothing to do with weed but like - she once took me on a camping holiday and when we got there it turned out it was.. Oh god, you're so going to judge me," he sighed. 

"I'd never," said Baekhyun seriously, laying a comforting hand on his arm. 

Kyungsoo took a deep breath before continuing. "It was a UFO retreat. Like, we went out to a field once it was night and tried to call aliens down."

"Did you see any ?"

"Of course we didn't fucking see any aliens."

Baekhyun nodded. "I bet they'd have better shit to do anyway."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to unload all of this onto you."

"Dude," Baekhyun gave him a look over his glasses, "You're allowed to talk. Besides, I like knowing more about you. You basically know all of my issues, I've got no leverage here."

He seemed pleased that Kyungsoo laughed at this, and reached over to wipe a bit of icecream off his chin.

"Sorry I'm no fun, though," Kyungsoo said, looking down.

"What are you talking about ?" Baekhyun stood up and straightened his pants. "Hanging out with you is the most fun I've had in like, forever."

"... Really ?"

He thought Baekhyun would take the opportunity to tease him, but he just leaned down to kiss him on the forehead and whisper, "Really."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyungsoo's UFO story is true btw
> 
> when I was sixteen we took a family holiday and met up with 50 or so people to sit out in a field and try to call aliens. I fell asleep pretty quick  
> and no, no aliens came down 
> 
> I've been very suspicious of going on holidays with my parents ever since


	58. Chapter 58

"Do we have to go outside ?" Groaned Kyungsoo.

Jongin nodded decidedly. "I just can't work in the library when the weather is this nice. Besides, we need the vitamin D."

They made for the on-campus park, which was less of a park and more just a long section of dirt planted with clover and trampled by generations of students. Jongin picked a semi-lush corner, pulled a picnic blanket out of his bag and sat down on it.

"You just go around with a blanket in your bag ?" Asked Kyungsoo, sitting down in the clover.

"It's versatile," grinned Jongin. "Need a nap ? Boom, you have a blanket. Going for a picnic but you're wearing white pants - blanket."

"I don't trust people who wear white pants," remarked Kyungsoo, pulling his literature assignment out of his bag. "They're either fools or witches."

"Who's a witch ?" A slightly drawling voice came from behind and Kyungsoo turned to find Sehun standing a couple feet away. He gave them a small smile, and Jongin patted the empty spot on the blanket, inviting him to sit down.

"People who wear white pants. Either they don't care about stains, or they've made a pact with Satan to keep them clean. There's no way a regular person walks around in white pants for a whole day and doesn't ruin them."

Sehun laughed. "Not even if they're careful ?"

"No," replied Kyungsoo. "This world is chaos and entropy. Being careful is _not enough."_

Jongin's eyebrows rose dramatically. "Damn Kyungsoo, who hurt you ?"

He was saved from answering by Sehun, who had spotted someone walking on the path and waved at them.

"Oh hey guys," said Junmyeon, coming closer. "Enjoying the sunshine ?"

"Not of my own accord," mumbled Kyungsoo.

Jongin rolled his eyes. "You're such a vampire."

"Hi Junmyeon," Sehun said with a bright smile. "Are you busy ?"

"Not immediately. I have a shift at the coffeeshop in an hour, though."

"Oh, I didn't know you're a barista."

"Don't get your hopes up," said Jongin, and Kyungsoo nodded darkly. "He never gives freebies."

"It's cause you guys suck. Last time you came in you had me make a drink for Ben Dover."

Jongin and Kyungsoo laughed at the memory. "He had to call it out for us to come pick up the drink."

"He repeated it like five times. _'I have a tall drink of milk for Ben Dover_ !'"

" _'Ben Dover, please_ !'"

"His ears were so red when he realized !" Wheezed Kyungsoo. Sehun was laughing so hard he'd fallen over backwards, and the blood began to creep up Junmyeon's ears.

"I'm still convinced Yeri was in on it. She never would have written that on the cup if you hadn't paid her off somehow," he grumbled, sitting down next to Kyungsoo anyway.

Sehun sat up and wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. "That's really cute."

"Who the fuck orders plain milk anyway," Junmyeon grumbled again, but he sounded like he was trying really hard not to freak out about being called cute.

"I've gotta get my calcium," replied Jongin. "I'm a growing boy."

"You're plenty tall already. Leave the calcium for Kyungsoo."

"I'm taller than you," Kyungsoo threw a pencil at Junmyeon.

"That is _not_ true."

They glared at each other, then Kyungsoo moved a fraction of an inch forward and Junmyeon jumped back, hands up, yelling, "IF YOU GIVE ME A NUGGIE I'M HIDING YOUR KEY TO THE APARTMENT !!"

"Oh my god," Sehun chortled. "I love hanging out with you guys."

For the sake of his friend's love life, and not at all because he was worried that he'd follow through on his threat, Kyungsoo refrained from giving Junmyeon a nuggie. It wasn't quite the same as giving one to Baekhyun anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jongin's blanket is this AU's equivalent of Ford Prefect's towel in H2G2 
> 
> Unrelated : I AM SO FECKIN HYPE FOR BAEKHYUN'S SECOND ALBUM the teaser pics ?? the mood samplers ?? All of my yes.


	59. Chapter 59

"How'd you do on the Venice essay ?" Asked Chanyeol as he noodled absentmindedly on his guitar.

Kyungsoo, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his back against the wall, looked up from his phone.

"Oh uh, I did ok."

"Top marks ?"

"... Yeah."

Chanyeol grinned. "Congrats, man."

Kyungsoo shifted a little and, not meeting Chanyeol's eye, replied, "Thanks." To his relief, Chanyeol didn't say anything more and switched to playing an actual song.

"Listen to this, I've been practising -"

Kyungsoo, who had no technical knowledge of music, sat back and looked at his friend's fingers dancing on the strings. It sounded a bit choppy and Chanyeol looked a little goofy with his tongue sticking out as he focused, but he seemed to gain confidence as he went and his playing became smoother. By the end of the piece, Kyungsoo had closed his eyes to better enjoy the music.

"Woah man, you're getting really good."

"I still can't believe you've never studied music theory," came a cheerful voice from the door.

"Jongdae !" Chanyeol lit up, then cleared his throat as though trying to hide his excitement. "Hey man." Jongdae threw his bag on the floor and flopped on the bed.

To Kyungsoo's surprise, Baekhyun followed Jongdae into the room. He looked really tired but he smiled at Kyungsoo and let himself drop down on the floor in between his legs, laying with his back against Kyungsoo's chest.

"Get a room, you two," said Jongdae from the bed with a grin.

"Fuck off, I need cuddles," replied Baekhyun, voice rough and much lower than usual. Kyungsoo put his arms around him and he sighed in relief. "That's the stuff."

Kyungsoo kissed the top of his head. "Long day ?"

"Minseok made us practise for hours. The show is day after tomorrow and he wants everything to be perfect."

"And is it ?"

Baekhyun snorted. "No. Everything's terrible."

"Isn't it always though ?" Asked Chanyeol. "When Kyungsoo did tap-dancing he always complained about dress rehearsals being horrid."

"You did tap-dancing ?!"

"Yeah."

"How have I never heard about this ?" Said Baekhyun in an accusatory tone, twisting to look at him.

Kyungsoo shrugged. "It was a while ago, I stopped when I graduated high-school."

"How many years did you do it ?"

"Twelve, or so. I started when I was six."

"OH MY GOD," Baekhyun whisper-yelled. "You must be, like - a master tap-dancer ? A master tapper ?"

"No, I was pretty bad."

"You were really good at it," said Chanyeol from the bed, "you're just incapable of taking a compliment."

"What ?" Baekhyun twisted again in Kyungsoo's arms. "You let me compliment your dick all the time -"

"I don't _let_ you, you just do it -"

Chanyeol sighed. "Do we have to hear about Kyungsoo's dick every day ?"

"It's really great though -"

"I mean, I don't doubt it but still -"

"He's also really good at singing."

"And very handsome."

"Can you guys stop ?" Kyungsoo groaned.

Chanyeol pointed at him accusatorily. "See ? Unable to take a compliment."

Baekhyun sat up and turned to look at him. "But you're so cool, man."

"You're biased."

"I haven't seen your supposedly magical dick, and I still think you're very cool, Soo," said Jongdae from the bed.

"You're just an idiot."

"Wow," Jongdae said, looking at Chanyeol, "He really can't take a compliment, can he."

Chanyeol shook his head. "There's only one thing to do when he gets like this."

A deep sense of foreboding swept over Kyungsoo. "Park Chanyeol you better fucking not -"

But he never finished his sentence, because Chanyeol yelled "FORTH EORLINGAS" and launched himself at his best friend, immediately followed by Jongdae and Baekhyun.

"I fucking hate you guys," he groaned from under the three of them, but there was no bite to his tone and it only made them giggle like schoolchildren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyungsoo : "I'm just Do Kyungsoo, I'm not particularly good at anything" 
> 
> The rest of EXO : SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


	60. Chapter 60

"Baek !" Kyungsoo called in the crowded hall. Baekhyun was on the other end, having his hand shaken by about fifty people at once, but when he heard Kyungsoo's voice he immediately turned. Their eyes met. He was still wearing his performance makeup, a burgundy eyeshadow that smudged artfully, bringing out a sparkle in his eyes that Kyungsoo had never exactly noticed, not this strong.

They found each other in the middle of the hall, and no one seemed to exist anymore but Baekhyun and his bashful, excited smile. He'd just sung the house down and out of its mind with enough vocal power to launch a person into space, albeit very pleasantly, and yet here he stood in front of Kyungsoo, looking.. _shy ?_

"Did you.. like it ?" He asked.

"Are you kidding me ? You're brilliant, Baekhyun." He blushed in delight at this praise. "I seriously could have listened to you singing the phonebook and been just as moved -"

"You were moved ?!"

"I TOOK A PICTURE !!" Yelled Chanyeol, appearing behind Kyungsoo and brandishing his phone. "He was totally crying."

"So were you," Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but I cry at everything. You _never_ cry." Chanyeol handed his phone to Baekhyun who delightedly zoomed in on the single tear rolling down Kyungsoo's face.

He hadn't been able to help himself. Baekhyun had been singing Hozier songs, for fuck's sake. And he'd looked straight at him several times, like when he sang,

_Be still my foolish heart, don't ruin this for me._

Which had made Kyungsoo feel all wobbly. And then, of course, the whole of Cherry Wine. That had been rough. Baekhyun had put every ounce of feeling he could muster into that one, and Kyungsoo knew exactly how personal it was to him, so of course he fucking cried.

He took Baekhyun's hand and said, "Can we go somewhere quieter ?"

Baekhyun's eyes sparkled brighter and he pulled Kyungsoo to a tiny dressing room where Minseok was furiously making out with Luhan. As there was no dislodging them, or even really interrupting, Baekhyun grabbed a jacket and they crept out to the alley behind the theater.

"You were so good, Baek. Seriously."

Baekhyun smiled, but he looked away and didn't answer.

"I'm almost - like.. intimidated."

"Really ?" He looked back at Kyungsoo in surprise. "Is that why you still haven't kissed me ?"

"To be honest, yeah -" He didn't get much further, because Baekhyun launched himself at him for a kiss that was definitely more passion than technique. Kyungsoo found himself pushed up against the wall, and the little bubble that had been growing in his chest over the last few weeks began to ache again.

He'd noticed it on some previous occasions, warm and delicately floaty, but it wasn't until he'd heard Baekhyun sing on the stage that he'd realized how big it was, and how it compressed everything around it, pushing his organs to the side as though they didn't matter. It was like he'd taken a step back and seen him under a spotlight that showed exactly how special he was, in every single way.

He reached up to cup Baekhyun's face and take control of the kiss, slowing it down a little bit. Baekhyun moaned. It was easy to melt into him, easy as a thought, and he found in his heart a sudden certainty. He wanted more.

He pulled back for a short breath, panting a little bit, and running a hand through Baekhyun's hair, he asked quietly, "Do you want to go home ?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah fun story right
> 
> remember that chapter where Jongin is sad cause his supervisor told him to rewrite 20 pages and he's sad and Kyungsoo brings him legos 
> 
> lol
> 
> it was prophetic. i have to rewrite a whole chapter of my thesis. im dying 
> 
> Ok anyway hozier songs amirite 
> 
> Almost Sweet Music -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irw04nbXwxk  
> Cherry Wine -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdSCCwtNEjA


	61. Chapter 61

They made no attempt to keep their hands off each other in the uber back to Baekhyun's house, which was closer to the theater, and as a result Kyungsoo was already completely turned on by the time they reached the porch. Baekhyun pushed him up against the front door, kissing him hungrily and utterly failing to get the key into the door.

"Talk about literary parallels," he muttered when Kyungsoo released him, and finally got the door open.

"Huh ?"

"Nothing," and, once the door open, he let Kyungsoo tug him inside by the collar.

"I want to feel you," said Kyungsoo a little desperately as Baekhyun kissed his neck and pulled his shirt up.

"You will," replied Baekhyun and then, to Kyungsoo's surprise, he reached down around to his thighs and effortlessly picked him up. Kyungsoo wrapped his legs around Baekhyun and let himself be carried up the stairs.

"Fuck," he mumbled in between kisses along Baekhyun's collarbone, "you're really strong."

"I swim a lot," murmured Baekhyun in the lowest register he could muster, causing Kyungsoo to laugh out loud.

"Was that supposed to be sexy ?"

"Mmh -" Replied Baekhyun, letting him down and pushing him against the wall. He ran a hand down and under Kyungsoo's shirt, biting his own lip as he did so.

"Your dirty talk is much better when you don't use words," Kyungsoo said with a smirk and a slight pant. Baekhyun's hands were electric on his skin, lighting him up as they caressed along every little dip and dent.

Of course, Baekhyun, the fucker, then leaned close to his ear, hot breath ghosting over his neck and driving him crazy, only to murmur in his sexiest voice :

"Aubergine..." His deep tone dripped like honey, making its way to the core of Kyungsoo's desire. "The cat's pyjamas.." How the fuck was this so hot ? "Timbuktu.."

"What the _fuck_ \- are you doing," panted Kyungsoo, turned on beyond belief.

"It's not the words baby, it's the _voice_ that lets you know how hard you're about to get fucked."

"Oh god - you need to shut up and get to it, Byun."

"Do you want it ?" Baekhyun smirked and bit his neck very lightly. Kyungsoo felt like he was going to melt and explode at the same time. He nodded frantically.

"Do you ?" He pushed suddenly with his hips, trapping Kyungsoo between himself and the wall, making both erections very obvious.

"Oh -" Kyungsoo moaned. The friction was heavenly, and so far from enough he could have cried. "Oh fuck yes, I fucking want it."

" _What_ do you want ?"

"I want you to shut the fuck up and finally fucking _fuck_ me."

"You got it," Baekhyun grinned, and stepping back, pulled him into his room. There was no more talking as they undressed, kisses hot and messy. It seemed like no time at all before Baekhyun was stretching Kyungsoo open again with two fingers, and all Kyungsoo could think about was how much he wanted Baekhyun's dick inside him.

"Please - I'm ready, I promise," he moaned. Baekhyun _did_ have a pianist's fingers, whatever that meant, and they _did_ feel amazing against his prostate, and at the same time they were so far from enough.

Baekhyun gave him a concerned look. "You sure ?"

"FUcking _\- fuck. YES._ "

"Okay, okay," laughed Baekhyun. He rolled a condom onto himself and crawled up between Kyungsoo's legs to position himself just right. Then he reached for Kyungsoo's hand and held it tight, leaning down to kiss him and pushing in at the same time.

The bubble in Kyungsoo's chest popped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if it counts like a slow burn considering they've been making out for like 40 chapters but 
> 
> Baekhyun has finally opened the Chamber of Secrets


	62. Chapter 62

"What did you think ?" Baekhyun's voice was very low in the dark room, and it thrilled Kyungsoo's heart to hear him so tender.

"My ass kind of hurts," he smiled, running a finger up and down Baekhyun's chest. "But I liked it a _lot_. How about you ?"

"It was - nice."

"Just nice ?"

Baekhyun laughed. "So much more than nice. I'm just a dumbass who can't find the right words. I'd kind of forgotten how good it feels - Jerking off is really not the same." He pulled Kyungsoo close and kissed him. "Thanks."

"You don't have to thank me."

"No, but.. I don't know. I still want to. Thanks for.. Fuck, I don't even know. I think fucking you might have fried my brain."

"Then shut up and kiss me again."

Baekhyun complied and leaned in for another kiss. It was soft and sweet, and he brought a hand up to cup Kyungsoo's face as he delicately followed each short kiss with another, tentative and also somehow worshipping, as though kissing Kyungsoo was the best thing to ever happen to him.

Kyungsoo thought he might vibrate into another plane of existence just from the joy of that feeling, which was a little weird, but then Baekhyun went for a longer kiss with more pressure and more desire, and all the strange, wonderful thoughts fizzled away into pure want. He laid a hand on Baekhyun's pectoral muscle, enjoying the feel of it under his hand, and savouring the feeling of Baekhyun's tongue brushing against his own. As the kisses grew deeper he felt himself getting hard again, slowly but surely.

So he did the only sensible thing. He pushed Baekhyun onto his back and climbed up to straddle him and roll his hips down. Baekhyun was just as hard as he was, but he smiled in surprise.

"You wanna go again already ?"

"Much as I'd love to -" He took Baekhyun's dick in his hand and stroked it slowly, "I think I'm a little sore for that."

"Oh.." A grin grew on Baekhyun's face. "Then ... what are you thinking ?"

"I'm thinking I kind of want to bend _you_ in half."

"Good plan. Oh god -" He moaned when Kyungsoo shimmied to the side so he'd have a better angle to slide a finger, wet with his own saliva, into him. "Yeah, I approve of this. This is acceptable. Uh-huh. Yu-uh-up - ten-four, good sir -" Kyungsoo added a finger and started scissoring to get him ready.

"Do you really have to comment on everything ?"

"It's in my - fuck - oh yeah, right there - It's in my contract."

"Jesus." Kyungsoo leaned down to kiss him so he'd stop talking.

"Honestly, if you lube yourself up good I can totally take you right now."

"I just started -"

"Yeah, and you need to get on with it -" He grinned as he said this, then he added in a bad british accent, "YES !! GET ON WITH IT !!"

"What are you -"

"You haven't seen Monty Python's Holy Grail ? There's this scene where a character - Zoot, from castle Anthrax where they do the oral sex,"

"What the _fuck_ are you talking about." Kyungsoo removed his (now) three fingers and quickly got a condom onto himself before positioning himself between Baekhyun's legs, which he pushed up against his chest, effectively bending him in half.

" - and like, she breaks the fourth wall to comment on how much she likes the scene, and then all the characters from previous scenes - including God - yell at her to _get on with it._ "

"Baekhyun," he groaned as he entered him, "I love you but shut the fuck up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy


	63. Chapter 63

"What do you mean you're not sure ?" Jongdae frowned. "Either he said it or he didn't."

Baekhyun, lying on his back on the couch, put his feet up in the air and sighed. "I think I must have misheard, though. It's always hard to focus when he starts fucking into me with that -"

Jongdae, who was sitting cross-legged on the rug while _The Mummy_ played in the background, rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, gigantor dick. So you're really not sure if he did say he loves you ?"

"I mean.. not really."

"Why didn't you ask ?"

Baekhyun groaned. "How the _fuck_ would I ask ? 'Oh by the way, nice orgasm there, thanks for the pounding, also did you say you loved me or did I just dream that bit ?'"

"Well.. yeah. Why not ?"

"What if it was a figure of speech ? Or a joke ? What if I _actually_ misheard him ?"

"I don't really see Kyungsoo making a joke like that," said Jongdae thoughtfully. "I don't think he'd say it unless he was serious."

Baekhyun shrugged and looked away. "It wouldn't make sense though."

"It's doesn't _not_ make sense -"

"What doesn't not make sense ?" Yixing enquired, poking his head out of his room.

"For Kyungsoo to say he loves Baekkie."

"Makes a lot of sense to me," he replied, approaching the couch and bending down to pat Baekhyun's head. "You're very lovable."

"Yeah, man," said Jongdae, and fed him a potato chip. "Besides, you guys have been fucking pretty consistently for a while now."

"Yeah, I know that."

"Is it freaking you out ?"

Baekhyun stared at the ceiling and tried to sort through his feelings. "No.. No it's not freaking me out. And in a weird way that's what's freaking me out."

"How so ?" Asked Yixing, perching himself on the couch's arm.

"I don't even know. I feel like - I _should_ be freaking out. Lord knows I freaked out last semester when Minseokkie asked me out on a date after we fucked."

"That was pretty silly," Yixing nodded wisely. They all remembered Baekhyun barging into the appartment to yell at Jongdae that this was all his fault for setting them up in the first place. "You guys are both overly dramatic."

"No, you're just boring," Jongdae stuck his tongue out at him and Yixing laughed.

"We are fairly dramatic, bro," said Baekhyun, looking at his best friend.

"Well, life's more fun that way. But that's not the point - are you or are you not freaking out ?"

"But I'm not even sure he actually _said_ it. Maybe I just heard what I wanted to hear."

Jongdae gave him a shrewd look. "So you _want_ him to love you ?"

"I - I think so ? Maybe ? It wouldn't suck -" He sighed. "And that's the thing. Part of my brain is telling me that it's too dangerous but like.. I can't bring myself to care enough to listen to it. It feels too good."

"Well that's good, isn't it ?"

"But then another part of my brain is freaking out that I'm not getting scared."

"Baekkie," Yixing unfolded himself and leaned forward to take his friend's hands in his own. "Baekkie, are you happy ?"

".. Yeah."

"Has Kyungsoo ever made you feel unsafe ?"

"No. Not once."

"Has he ever made you feel like you weren't good enough ?"

"No."

"Then that's all that really matters, isn't it ?"

".. Yeah, I guess so."

Yixing gave him a smile and another pat on the head before leaving for the kitchen in search of snacks.

"Besides," mumbled Baekhyun, "I don't even know if he _did_ say it. I'm literally stressing over nothing."

"Brains are dumb, man," replied Jongdae as he watched the mummy shriek at a cat. 

"What would _you_ know about brains."

Jongdae retaliated by squashing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need a The Mummy AU with Kyungsoo in a Rick O'Connel costume 
> 
> Baek could be the librarian/archeologist. He'd be very cute as Evey 
> 
> Jongdae would totally be a hotter Jonathan. Put Minseok as the hot Medjai dude and that is some XiuChen I would not be opposed to ONE BIT - although to be fair there is no XiuChen under the sun I am opposed to because they're my first exOTP -
> 
> Who'd be the Mummy tho, that's a harder one to pick


	64. Chapter 64

"Stop it, Minseok," said Luhan, "The show went really well."

" _Well_ ? The lighting cues got all messed up after the second act. Taemin had to dance in blue light instead of red !"

Baekhyun patted his arm. "The audience didn't notice, though. They thought that was planned."

"It's about the _concept,_ " Insisted Minseok, waving a cucumber stick to help make his point. "We had a concept, and the sound and light guys just absolutely messed it up."

"Hi guys," came Kyungsoo's deep voice as he approached their table. Luhan was sitting next to Baekhyun so Kyungsoo kissed him on the head quickly and then sat down next to Minseok. "What's messed up ?"

Baekhyun, trying very hard to be nonchalant, answered, "Minseok's whining about the show."

"Really ? I thought it was pretty great."

"But the _lighting_ -" Minseok sighed, "The lighting was all wrong !"

"Babe," Luhan leaned forward, "you have to let it go. You can't control everything."

"Try me," growled Minseok, but his shoulders slumped when Luhan gave him an unimpressed look. "Fine, fine. I guess you're right."

"Besides, it's in the past right ?"

".. Right."

"So ?" Prompted Luhan.

Minseok gave him a dark look. "So it's out of my hands."

"And ?"

"... And it doesn't matter." As he said this, a weight seemed to fall from his shoulders and he sighed in relief. "Thanks Lu." He leaned across the table to give him a kiss, and Luhan blushed a little bit.

"I'm impressed," commented Baekhyun. "Never thought I'd see the day Kim Minseok let anything go."

"What are you talking about ?"

"You, my dude, are a control freak."

Minseok seemed like he was about to argue, but his phone started vibrating. "Oh shit," he said, picking it up, "I have to study for thirty minutes before lab this afternoon."

He grabbed his bag and Luhan rose too. "I'll come with. Thirty minutes of studying is better than nothing."

They left the table hand in hand with a wave for Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, who remained behind in an awkward sort of silence. Baekhyun realized this was the first time he'd ever felt awkward around the other, and subsequently felt even more awkward.

"You ok man ?" Asked Kyungsoo after swallowing a bite of salad.

"Yeah I'm fine."

"You seem a little off. Are your parents fucking you up again ?"

"What ? Oh. No, no, they're fine."

Kyungsoo gave him a serious look. "Baek. If anything's wrong you know you can talk to me, right ?"

Baekhyun looked back at him. There was solidity in his dark eyes, and he realized suddenly that he trusted him more than he'd ever trusted anyone. There was a deep tenderness too, and Baekhyun found that it didn't really matter whether Kyungsoo had said the fateful phrase or not. Even if he'd dreamed it, every gesture Kyungsoo had towards him was so full of love that it didn't need to be spoken.

No matter what Kyungsoo said, Baekhyun felt loved. And that, he was surprised to find, was okay. More than okay, it was almost a relief not to worry about words anymore.

He relaxed and smiled at Kyungsoo. "Yeah, man."

Kyungsoo smiled back, looking a little relieved. "Wanna come over after your class this afternoon ?"

"Sounds good." He took a bite of sandwich and added, "there's something I've been reading about and I kind of wanna try it, if you're up for it."

"Sure. What it is ?" Asked Kyungsoo, innocently collecting salad onto his fork and popping it into his mouth.

He spat it back out when Baekhyun answered simply, "Sitting on your face."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> direct and to the point
> 
> that is how he rolls


	65. Chapter 65

Kyungsoo jolted awake when the front door slammed shut. He'd accidentally fallen asleep on the couch in the middle of watching _High School Musical_ and scrambled to shut the TV off before Junmyeon could find out. He'd probably use it as ammunition for one of his nefarious purposes, like making people believe he was taller than Kyungsoo.

There was a sigh at the front door, and a shuffling as Junmyeon changed into slippers.

"Hey, Soo," he said, sounding exhausted.

"Hey dude. You ok ?"

He collected his legs so that his roommate would have enough room to fall onto the couch, where he gave another deep sigh.

"I'm ok."

"Are you really ok or are you doing the thing where you don't want me to worry about you," said Kyungsoo shrewdly.

Junmyeon smiled tiredly at him. "I'm - mostly ok. I just had a rough day."

"Do you want a hug ?"

"Okay."

Junmyeon curled up against Kyungsoo's side. They didn't cuddle very often, but the poor guy seemed like he needed it tonight.

After a short silence, Junmyeon pulled himself back up and spoke.

"I went back to the bar."

"Oh shit. Where your ex works ?"

"Yeah. I wanted to talk to him."

"Can I ask what happened between you guys ? It sounded like you have a lot of history."

"I guess we do, although it just lasted six months," Junmyeon took a deep breath. "He was my first boyfriend. We met in our last year of high school. He was a foreign exchange student from China and he was going to spend the whole year here. We fell in love.. almost as soon as we met." He smiled. "I'd never been in love before and it hit me like a truck. It was the same for him. After about three weeks of mutual pining I just sort of gathered my courage and asked him out. Good thing, too, cause he was the shyest kid I'd ever met."

"Him ?" Asked Kyungsoo in disbelief, remembering the height, the width, the piercings and the tattoos.

"He couldn't look me in the eye for the first week or so. It was adorable once I figured out it was because he just wanted to kiss me all the time."

"That is pretty cute."

Junmyeon gathered his knees to his chest and hugged them tight. "We were so happy together, Kyungsoo. I haven't felt anything remotely similar ever since. I think that's why I don't date a lot. It just never compares to what I had with Yifan."

"So what happened ?"

"We never really talked about what would happen once he went home. It seemed so far away, we thought we'd have time to figure it out. But.." He ran a tired hand over his face, "halfway through his stay, his dad got really sick and he was called home. He.. didn't make it. His dad, I mean. He died a few days after Yifan got home."

"Fuck."

"And the thing is, Yifan has two younger siblings, and one of them is disabled. Their mom was devastated, and he took on all the household responsibilities. He had to find a part time job. He cooked, and he cleaned, he took care of his sister, and he did everything he could to hold his family together. And with all that," Junmyeon gulped, "he.. he just couldn't possibly handle a long-distance relationship on top of everything else." He buried his face in his knees. "I understood. I really did."

He began to cry, and Kyungsoo wrapped himself around him, petting his hair softly. Junmyeon never cried for a very long time, though, and this held true. With a tremendous effort, he gathered himself and added, in a tiny, miserable voice, "But it hurt so much."

He pawed at the tears on his face. "I missed him every day, for so long. I'd wake up crying at night, sometimes. And even now, after years have passed, I feel like.. there's always a part of me that wants to go back to those months we had together."

"Do you want to get back together with him ?"

"I don't know," answered Junmyeon softly. "I've spent so long being sad.. I don't know if I can remember how to be happy with him. When I see his face all I can think about anymore is how much it hurt trying to forget him. We didn't talk for very long but I think he wants me back, and.. it would be just.. easier.. to say no."

Kyungso squeezed him tighter. He didn't know what he could possibly say to help, so he stayed silent and tried to put all of his love and support into the hug.

"And it sucks," the tears returned to Junmyeon's voice, "because I was just starting to get somewhere with Sehun.. And Yixing sent me a message cause he wants to hang out and I think he wants more too, and he's really fucking hot and sweet but I have too many feelings and I - don't - know - what - to - do" he sobbed into Kyungsoo's sweatshirt.

So Kyungsoo hugged him tighter still, and for once Junmyeon's tears took a long time to dry out. In a fairly typical fashion, he began apologizing profusely as soon as they did, so Kyungsoo made some ramen and pulled _High School Musical_ back up to shut him up, which worked like a charm. But Junmyeon didn't sing along as he usually did when they watched musicals, and he still looked sad when they bade each other good night. Wishing he could do more to help, Kyungsoo gave him one last tight hug. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The teasers for Baekhyun's new album are killing me guys 
> 
> the sound
> 
> the aesthetic 
> 
> the 'Make-Baekhyun-Look-Like-He-Ate-A-Whole-Drawer-Full-Of-Sweets' concept
> 
> im so hype（。＞ω＜）。


	66. Chapter 66

"Oh god," whispered Baekhyun into the half-lit room. It was early morning and just a couple rays of pale sunshine were coming through the blinds in Kyungsoo's room, falling on the bed and illuminating Kyungsoo's skin as he lifted himself up and fell back down onto Baekhyun's cock over and over again, panting hard. He'd thrown his head back and was biting his lip, which was, according to Baekhyun, close to the sexiest thing in the world.

With his back against the wall and such a beautiful sight before him, and the heavenly feeling of Kyungsoo fucking _himself_ on him, it was as close to bliss as Baekhyun had ever thought he'd come.

He wrapped an arm around the other's waist and pulled him closer, interrupting his motion to kiss him deeply. Kyungsoo settled quickly into the kiss and started just grinding slowly in place, his ass like a vice around Baekhyun's dick.

"Fuck," groaned Baekhyun. Clumsily, not wanting to let go of Kyungsoo's waist, he maneuvred them so that Kyungsoo was on his back, then tapping his leg, got him to rise onto all fours.

"Here," he gave Kyungsoo a pillow to hang on to and then drove back into him slowly.

"You can go faster," said Kyungsoo, voice rough from sleep and desire.

So Baekhyun picked up the pace, leaning down over the broad back to cover it with kisses. With Kyungsoo's moans and how long they had been at it - he'd woken up with a boner buried against the other's ass and really, it had all been downhill from there - Baekhyun felt himself get very close. Judging by Kyungsoo's desperate panting, he was also close, so he reached around and began jerking him off. They came together, slowing down to a shuddering stop, and then Kyungsoo let himself collapse onto his stomach.

Baekhyun fell to the side, and Kyungsoo immediately jumped back off the bed, cursing.

"Fuck - ugh, it's everywhere."

"What's the matter ?"

"I lay down in my own cum," groaned Kyungsoo. Baekhyun, giddy from his orgasm, laughed at him.

"Here," he grabbed a tshirt from the floor and began wiping off Kyungsoo's abs. He was half tempted to just go ahead and lick him clean but that would probably get them going on round 2, and there wasn't time for that. It would keep for later. 

"Thanks," replied Kyungsoo softly. "I'm going to change my sheets, you can have a shower first if you want."

"Got it." He rose and wrapped himself around Kyungsoo for a final kiss, then he bent down to gather his clothes off the floor. "Oh shit, can I borrow a shirt ? I used mine as cum rag."

"Yeah man, help yourself."

Baekhyun peered into the closet, found one of the rare non-black tshirts (a very very very dark blue shirt with Captain America's shield on it) and headed to the shower, still unable to stop smiling. He washed and dressed himself quickly, having a morning class to attend fairly soon. The tshirt looked good on him, he thought. He liked the feeling of wearing something that belonged to Kyungsoo.

"All yours," he announced, returning to Kyungsoo's room.

Now wearing boxers, Kyungsoo turned around and stopped, staring at him.

"You ok ?"

"Yeah," nodded Kyungsoo, "Yeah sorry." He came closer to examine the shirt, a tiny smile playing on his lips. Baekhyun thought he would comment, but he leaned in to kiss him instead and the only thing he said was, "All mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt a little guilty about not writing more of bottom!Soo the other day so uh 
> 
> here we are
> 
> they're living their best switchy lives


	67. Chapter 67

"You're _dreaming._ There's no way they'd allow -"

"No I'm telling you, it's really obvious. We watched it with Junmyeon the other day to cheer him up."

"What's obvious ?" Asked Chanyeol, dropping his bag next to Kyungsoo and himself next to the bag.

"Kyungsoo says Chad and Ryan have crazy sexual tension in High School Musical 2," said Jongin. He looked very dignified on his blanket, with his oversized white dress shirt hanging off his shoulder, showing off his collarbone and an expensive looking white-gold chain necklace.

"Yeah, I mean it's not explicit but the subtext _is_ there."

"Disney would never allow gay subtext in a movie for teenagers."

Kyungsoo shrugged. "Subtext isn't necessarily on purpose though. They probably just didn't consider how gay it would look to have two dudes waving baseball bats at each other and getting really close and sweaty, and start panting -"

"By the way Jongin," said Chanyeol, "you're looking like a snack today, if you don't mind my saying."

"That sounds like something Jongdae would say," mumbled Kyungsoo suspiciously, but his friend waved him off.

"I just feel like we don't give each other enough compliments."

Kyungsoo felt like there was something more afoot, but it didn't really click in his mind until Jongdae and Baekhyun approached their spot on the clover and Chanyeol lit up.

"Hey guys," he said as they sat down, "you're both looking very handsome today."

"Gay," replied Baekhyun, before giving Kyungsoo a deep hello kiss.

Jongin rolled his eyes. " _You're_ gay."

"Aren't we all ?" Baekhyun grinned at them.

"Kyungsoo's not. He's very very bi," said Chanyeol lightly.

Baekhyun lay down with his head on Kyungsoo's lap, eyebrows raised. "Very _very_ bi ?"

"I swing both ways at high velocity," explained Kyungsoo.

"So, if we put you in a room full of hot men and women, alternating them in a certain pattern, and hooked you up to a generator, you could potentially produce enough electricity to power a household ?"

"More like one of those crank up flashlights."

"STEM majors, seriously," Baekhyun shook his head at Jongdae, who'd pulled out a notepad and begun to make calculations. As Jongdae ignored him, he returned his attention to Kyungsoo, poking his cheek curiously.

"You've been with more women than men right ?"

"It depends what you mean by 'been with', considering -" He stopped suddenly, remembering that he'd never told Chanyeol and Jongin the details of his gay bar adventures, and looked up to find they'd both leaned forward.

"Considering ?" They asked in unison.

"Um - nothing."

"This is suspicious," said Jongin, pulling an apple out of his bag.

"Extremely suspicious," added Chanyeol. "You have that look you get when you don't want to talk to us about stuff."

"And I'm about to have that look I get when I kick your ass."

Chanyeol backed off at that point, and the conversation went on to other concerns. There was nitpicking to do about Jongdae's calculations, and Jongin to tease over his sex-god of a boyfriend, and Kyungsoo relaxed. Baekhyun was still lying with his head on his lap and Kyungsoo felt his gaze flicker up at him uncertainly every now and then.

"You ok ?" he asked quietly, running a hand through Baekhyun's hair.

"I -" He started, but stopped himself and bit his lip. "I just - I need more kisses man," he smiled, "I'm wasting away over here just looking at your lips like damn - I need to get those on me."

So Kyungsoo leaned down to kiss him, hoping the ongoing debate on the merits of Thanos would be enough to shield them from remarks. It was not, however, and the public display of affection was greeted with a chorus of :

"Get a room !"

Which Kyungsoo thought was quite hypocritical how Chanyeol was leaning back and flexing his abs, allowing Jongdae to very obviously undress him with his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, ChadxRyan is one of my OTPs 
> 
> my shipping reflexes are too fast for the naked eye 
> 
> I'm like a shipping cowboy


	68. Chapter 68

"I think I'm about to do something dumb," said Baekhyun to Minseok one day as they walked through campus.

"What do you mean ?"

"I don't know. I just feel.. sideways. Unanchored. _Twirly_."

Minseok gave him an unconvinced look. "Why would you do something dumb if you know beforehand that you're going to do it ?"

"It's like.. I know I'm in the mindset to do something stupid. I just don't know what it is."

"Does this happen to you a lot ?"

"Well, I used to get this feeling sometimes when I'd go out drinking and hooking up with random people to make myself feel better."

Minseok cocked his head at him, one eyebrow raised. "Are you going to do that now ?"

"No, I don't think so."

They turned the corner of a building and beheld, at a certain distance, Kyungsoo walking along with a girl.

"Ugh," said Baekhyun, grimacing.

"What are you talking about ?"

"Fuck," sighed Baekhyun and sat on a nearby bench, putting his head in his hands. "I think this is why I was feeling sideways."

"You are making literally no sense today, dude," said Minseok, sitting next to him. "What's wrong ? I thought everything with Kyungsoo was fine."

"I think.. I think I'm getting jealous."

"Of _who_ ?"

"Or not jealous but like - sad."

" _About what ?_ Isn't he treating you really well ?"

"Yeah but - okay the thing is, I know I'm being dumb but like - what if he starts to miss pussy ?"

Minseok face-palmed.

"Cause if he starts to miss being with women, there's not much I can do, right ?" He pondered for a second, his leg bouncing uncontrollably. "Where does one even acquire said pussy ? Like, disembodied or something ? But what about like, clits and stuff ? Oh my god ! Minseok - What about boobs ? Even if I bought him a fleshlight or something, there's nothing I can do about boobs. God damn it."

"Jesus, Baekhyun."

"I know I'm being silly but like - seriously. What if he gets tired of being with -" He was about to say _me,_ but he stopped himself, "- with a guy ?"

"Dude. If it worries you that much, just talk to him."

Baekhyun pressed down on his knee to stop it from bouncing, but the motion seemed to transfer to his fist. "You're bi, right ?"

"Yes."

"Well ?"

"Well _what_?"

"Do bi men miss being with women when they're in homosexual relationships ?"

Minseok flicked his forehead. "I can't, and I won't, speak for all bi guys, and you shouldn't ask me to. For myself, no I don't miss it, because I love Luhan and I don't let my dick rule my life."

"I guess that's true." He sat back and sighed. "It would suck a lot if Kyungsoo told me he wanted to see - other people."

"That sounds like the heart of the problem. You should tell him that."

"But it's corny."

"Who gives a fuck."

"And I don't know if I'm ready for what it implies."

"I still think you should talk to him. Hi Kyungsoo !" He added with a smile, waving him over. "Baekhyun wants to talk to you."

"Hi Minseok. Hi Baek," said Kyungsoo, giving him a kiss. The girl was waiting a few feet behind, and Baekhyun gave her a suspicious look, although the very public kiss had somewhat mollified him. "This is Somi," said Kyungsoo, gesturing at her to come closer. "She's in first year, I'm her sponsor. Somi, this is Baekhyun and Minseok."

"Has he given you the exam papers from previous years ?" Asked Minseok with a mischievous smile.

Somi's eyebrows shot up. "Is that allowed ?"

"Yeah, but I don't think it's very helpful. The exams change every year," said Kyungsoo, but she gave him a very hopeful look, so he sighed. "Fine. I'll send them to you later. Can I have your email address ?"

He gave her his phone for her to put the address in, and while she was doing that he sat down next to Baekhyun, pulling him closer to whisper in his ear :

"You look really fucking hot today. Wanna go have fun somewhere that's definitely not private enough ? Oh but - did Minseok say you wanted to talk to me ?"

"Uh - It can wait. Boinking takes precedence." Kyungsoo's low voice had had its usual effect, and he felt the weird dumb sideways mood fading to the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't have time to beta read this so sorry for typos
> 
> I'm in the middle of packng and cleaning
> 
> ya girl is going home tomorrow weeeeeeeeee
> 
> hope you're all well and safe <3


	69. Chapter 69

Baekhyun stretched himself over the side of his bed and groaned. "Ugh, my back is killing me."

Kyungsoo was lying on his stomach on the floor, going over his notes with a highlighter. As usual when he was focusing on something, he didn't seem to hear Baekhyun, who let himself slowly slide off the side of the bed, head first. He ended up scrunched at a very strange angle that would definitely have killed him if it had happened faster.

"Kyungsoo. I'm a snake. Look."

Kyungsoo didn't look up, so Baekhyun hissed like a snake. When he still didn't answer, Baekhyun wiggled around so that he ended up flopped on the floor, and then, not wanting to get up, rolled himself over to where Kyungsoo was laying.

"Kyungsoo. Pay attention to me."

"Baek," Kyungsoo finally looked up from his notes and smiled. Baekhyun had an ink stain on his face and his hair was all messed up. It was really fucking cute. "Been studying too long ?"

"I think so," he groaned and stretched himself again. "My back hurts."

"Want a massage ?"

"Yes please," replied Baekhyun, wiggling his eyebrows.

Unfortunately for Baekhyun's dick, Kyungsoo's massage turned out to be geared more towards actually treating his backache than turning him on.

"OUCH - Oh my god - fuck."

"Am I hurting you ?" Asked Kyungsoo lightly, digging into a very painful knot.

"Y- yeah. Don't stop though. Feels like I'm getting steamrolled - in a good way."

So Kyungsoo kept going, and Baekhyun kept groaning, until little by little every knot in his back had been loosened and he felt more like overcooked spaghetti than dolorous gnocchi. When he was done, Kyungsoo gave him a pat on the ass and returned to his notes.

"Thank you," whispered Baekhyun, eyes closed. The massage also seemed to have cleared his brain of the cobwebs that accumulated from studying, and he remembered the weird dumb sideways thing he'd wanted to talk to Kyungsoo about. He'd been scared before, but with his back all nice and loose, he felt more grounded and better able to talk about his feelings without freaking out.

"Kyungsoo ?"

"Mh ?"

"Can I talk to you about something ?"

"Of course," said Kyungsoo, immediately putting down his highlighter and turning his full attention on Baekhyun, who blushed a little bit.

"Okay so - I know this is going to sound dumb but something's been kind of bothering me and I want to get it out."

Kyungsoo nodded seriously. "What is it ?"

"I'm - I - I'm worried you're going to miss being with women. If we keep -" not wanting to put a word on it, he gestured between the two of them, "- doing this."

Kyungsoo nodded again. "Okay. Well - is there anything I can do to make you feel better about that ?"

"I don't - think so ? I guess I'm curious to know your perspective. Since I'm not bi, I'm missing part of the equation.. I think."

"Okay. Well, let's see." Kyungsoo stayed silent for a few moments, pondering. "My perspective is - that I'm attracted to people more than to their genitals ? Like, how about this. All dicks are different right ?"

"Uh-huh."

"So at the moment, you're also just seeing my dick, right ?"

"Yeah."

"Do you miss other dicks ?"

".. No."

"Well, it's pretty much the same for me. Except on top of not missing other dicks, I also don't miss vaginas. Or labia. Or boobs. There isn't a person who has them and that I'm interested in. Don't get me wrong, if _you_ had boobs that would be fun. But since _you_ don't, I'm good."

"But, okay - but, the boobs though. Even to me they've always seemed like they'd be fun."

"Dude," Kyungsoo gave him a serious look, "I think you're overthinking this."

"You.. may be right," Baekhyun sighed. "I may.. perhaps... be self-sabotaging.. a little bit.

"Come here." He patted the space between his legs, inviting Baekhyun to slide in. When they were close enough to lean against each other's forehead, Kyungsoo kissed him deep and slow. He pulled back, to say, very quietly, "Do you trust me ?"

"Y- yeah."

"Good. Then believe me when I tell you I'm not going anywhere." He gave him another full kiss and added, "I'm going to suck your dick now, so you can turn your brain off."

A strange feeling rose in Baekhyun's gut. It was half barfing and half giggling, jittery and yet solid, and it made him want to find a megaphone, open the window and yell out -

" _Jesus velociraptor Christ_ -"

The supernatural flexibility of Kyungsoo's tongue was still as mindbending as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 69 yall
> 
> I feel like I should have made it sexier 
> 
> This version of Baek would definitely be disappointed in me for missing such an opportunity 
> 
> but they needed to talk it out ok


	70. Chapter 70

Jongdae looked at his watch, then at the street in front of him, then back at his watch. He was right on time. He tapped his foot impatiently on the pavement, then leaned against the record shop wall. If everything went according to plan -

"Jongdae !" The deep voice startled him out of his plotting, but he managed to peel himself off the wall looking as nonchalant as ever - he hoped.

"Hey man," he smiled, trying very hard not to let his thirst show. Chanyeol had pushed his hair up and was really fucking hot, as always. There were men who'd look silly with an undercut and those gigantic fucking ears, but for some reason it worked on Chanyeol. It worked so well it sometimes made Jongdae's knees a little wobbly.

"Where are Baekhyun and Kyungsoo ?"

"They just texted me, they're not coming." That was a lie. Jongdae had conveniently forgotten to tell them about the outing. It was part of his master plan to get Park Chanyeol into his bed.

Step one had been plan a friendly outing. Step two : send some videos to Baekhyun in order to get him horny and make sure they wouldn't happen to meet him and Kyungsoo. If he had played his cards right, Baekhyun would be engaged in some pretty thorough railing at that exact moment. Step three, the Sneaky-Date, was now in process. He smiled sweetly at Chanyeol.

"It's just the two of us."

"Oh ! Oh, cool." Chanyeol looked flustered. It was adorable. Jongdae wanted to fucking eat him, but that would have to wait until step fourteen. There were at least three more such Sneaky-Dates to go.

"Shall we go in ?"

Chanyeol nodded eagerly and opened the door, letting Jongdae into the store first. He'd picked that location as suitable for a sneaky date because he knew how much the other loved music, and he figured getting him to ramble about his favourite artists would put him in the mood to be seduced.

And indeed, as soon as they entered the store, Chanyeol pounced on a large purple record with a triangle and a girl licking a lollipop on it.

"Illuminati ?"

"This is a really good band," said Chanyeol, "And yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if they did an illuminati theme. They're pretty far out in terms of aesthetic, but their sound is actually quite retro."

There was a pair of headphones and a "Try This Out !" sign right by the record, so Chanyeol seized them and put them very delicately over Jongdae's ears.

It took all of Jongdae's self control not to say "Choke me daddy". But then the music started, an upbeat song that was about Sexy Dynamite, of all things, and he bobbed his head along, trying not to freak out that Chanyeol was looking at him with an eager grin.

"It's good right ?" He asked when Jongdae removed the headphones.

"Really good ! It's like Queen meets Green Day !"

"That's exactly it ! You're so right, that's exactly what they sound like."

Talking excitedly, Chanyeol pulled him deeper into the store, pointing out cool vynil covers and various obscure records. He knew all the fun facts and production details, and Jongdae found his chronic thirst abating as his interest grew. Chanyeol was so fucking smart. He lagged a little by a case full of heavy metal from Kazakhstan to ponder his own inadequacy, but it only lasted a minute before he caught another glimpse of Chanyeol's ass.

"Wanna go get some food ?" He asked eventually when he heard the taller's stomach growl, and Chanyeol lit up again.

"Sure ! What are you thinking ?"

"There's a new burger place nearby."

"Oh man, I haven't had burgers in so long."

So they went for burgers, and it was the furthest thing from romantic but Jongdae still found himself smitten with every movement Chanyeol made, and every word out of his mouth.

"Fuck this," he finally said, throwing his burger down.

Chanyeol stopped in the middle of his sentence about how he had once brought a wild ferret home as a kid because he had to save every animal he met. " - What's wrong ?"

"I can't fucking stand this any longer. Fuck the master plan."

Before anything but surprise could register on Chanyeol's face, Jongdae rose, pushed the trays perilously close to the side of the table and sat right in front of him, one leg on either side. He took Chanyeol's face, which looked extremely confused, in his hands.

"I really, really, really want to kiss you. Do you mind ?"

"Um -" said Chanyeol, cheeks squished, "No, go ahead."

So Jongdae kissed him.

And the whole burger joint erupted into applause - or maybe that was just the trays falling on the floor. Jongdae didn't care anymore. Chanyeol tasted like ketchup and pickles, and it was every bit as sexy as he'd dreamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah baby eat dem pickles uh huh


	71. Chapter 71

"I can't believe he finally fucking did it."

"I know," nodded Kyungsoo, "I'm glad that I don't have to hear Chanyeol come up with ridiculous plans to woo him anymore."

Baekhyun took a big gulp of milkshake. "Really ? I'd take that anyday over -"

"Dude, you _cannot_ in good faith complain about Jongdae talking about Chanyeol's dick. You talk about mine all the time."

"Maybe I should stop," said Baekhyun thoughtfully.

" _Please_ do."

"Or maybe I can just use it as ammunition against Jongdae."

"What the fuck -"

"Anytime I hear the words 'Chanyeol's dick' I'll just retaliate with descriptions of _your_ fantastic beast and where to find it."

Kyungsoo stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and gave him a Very Exhausted look. "I'm begging you, please don't."

"Begging, eh ? What'll you give me to stay silent, Mr. Bond ?"

"Diplomatic immunity."

"That's not very sexy of you."

"I don't know, I'd say having intact testicles is pretty sexy."

Baekhyun gasped. "You'd never harm my balls ! You like them too much !"

"I do not _like_ your balls."

"You literally kissed them the other day."

"Can you not take things out of context like that ? I was giving you a blowjob. Of fucking course that includes ball-fondling."

"Ooh, ball-fondling.." Baekhyun waggled his eyebrows at him, "that's some sexy vocabulary right there."

"You're literally the worst."

"And yet -" Baekhyun stopped himself. He'd been about to say _And yet you still love me,_ but that seemed like a fairly loaded statement now.

"And yet," said Kyungsoo in a deceptively light tone, "I kind of want to take you on a date."

Baekhyun choked on his milkshake and it came back out his nose.

"If you're okay with it. It's fine if you'd rather not, we can keep things chill -"

"No -" Baekhyun coughed. "No - fuck - ah shit -" There was milkshake all down his front. Kyungsoo fished into his pocket for a tissue and began dabbing at his tshirt.

"Sorry I startled you."

"I just - wasn't expecting it."

Kyungsoo kept dabbing at the spilled milkshake, not quite meeting his eye. "So.. what do you think ?"

"A date, like.. as - as boyfriends ?"

"Well. Yeah, kind of."

"Kind of ?"

"Well, not just kind of." Kyungsoo nibbled his milkshake straw. "I'd be pretty psyched if you wanted to be my boyfriend. But I know you have history and if you're not ready it's totally fine. I just thought I'd ask - since it's been going so well."

"- Well, fuck me."

"Not in public."

Baekhyun ignored him. He considered. No part of him was freaking out, apart from the butterflies in his stomach that sort of felt like he was going to throw up, in a good way, but he'd been led to understand that this was fairly standard. If anything, it seemed perfectly natural to him, and he even wondered vaguely how it hadn't happened before. "I think a date sounds nice, but -"

"No deal on the boyfriend thing ?"

"No, I'm just thinking I need a grander declaration. Where's the boombox, Soo ? Where's the Ferris Wheel ? Have you no sense of the dramatic ?"

"Jesus," groaned Kyungsoo, but he was smiling as he pulled Baekhyun to him, and smiling as he kissed him, and smiling as he added, "Can't you ever just fucking say yes like a normal person."

"No. I'm the worst," replied Baekhyun, going in for another giddy kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY ARE FINALLY BOYFRIENDS 
> 
> ok but don't worry I still have some angst in store hehe


	72. Chapter 72

"So," said Jongdae, dropping onto the bench where Kyungsoo was, for once, enjoying a quiet lunch in his own company, "I hear you've asked Baekkie out _formally_."

Minseok appeared out of nowhere on the other side of the table, eyebrows dark and foreboding. "Yes, so the story goes."

"What are you guys doing -"

They looked at him very intensely for a few seconds, then they relaxed and Jongdae grinned. "We're just messing with you. We're really glad one of you finally fucking did it."

"Yeah, we had bets going and everything."

"Who won ?" Asked Kyungsoo lightly.

"Chanyeol thought you'd confess first, so he won _that_ bet. But he also said it wouldn't happen until next fall, so he lost that one."

"Yixing was the closest, he thought it'd happen after finals."

Kyungsoo nodded, satisfied that the least ridiculous person of his acquaintance had won the betting. "So I take it you guys are okay with this," he said after a bite of potatoes.

"Oh yeah, we ship it hard," grinned Jongdae.

"Sorry if we came on a little strong at first," added Minseok. "We're a little protective of Baekkie."

"That's an understatement," Kyungsoo snorted, "you almost ripped my head off that one time."

Minseok shrugged. "What can I say, I have principles."

"Oh hey Sehun," Kyungsoo waved at the young man, who approached the table with his tray. He stopped when he saw Minseok.

"Oh uh - hi. Is it - okay if I join you ?"

Minseok patted the spot next to him. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm just a TA."

Sehun sat down, looking only marginally more comfortable.

"You're in biology too ?" Asked Jongdae, squinting at him. "Hang on - you look familiar -"

"You've hung out with Sehun before, haven't you ?" Said Kyungsoo. "I'm like 80% sure you have."

"No, no - before that. I just suddenly got this weird déjà-vu feeling - have we met ?" He squinted harder, "In a previous life maybe ? Were you a pirate too ?"

Minseok rolled his eyes and Kyungsoo mumbled, "What the fuck-" but Sehun just blushed.

"You're um -" He cleared his throat, "technically you're my sponsor."

"Oh. Fuck."

"It's okay ! Don't feel bad ! You were really drunk at that party."

"Yeah but still. That's pretty shitty of me. I could have helped you with your exams."

Sehun looked away and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like " _I have a 4.0 gpa.."_

"Then you could have helped me ! Damn you, Dionysus !" Jongdae shook his fist at the sky. "Why the fuck did he have to make booze so much fun."

"You know," said Kyungsoo matter-of-factly, "There's some evidence that suggests the cult of Dionysus, in a very archaic form, might be as old as wine itself. According to archeologists working in the Zagros mountains -"

"Let me make it up to you," Jongdae leaned across the table and gave Sehun his most apologetic face. "Come to Baekhyun's birthday party in two weeks."

"Would he be alright with that ? Sounds like a private party."

"I think it's fine," Kyungsoo waved his concern away. "I can ask him if you want but I'm pretty sure he'll say something along the lines of your ass being a fine addition to the festivities."

"Thanks," Sehun smiled. "Oh shit -" The smile vanished. "It's in two weeks ? Fuck."

"Are you busy ?"

"Um - sort of. My.. my partner is visiting me. They live, like, four hours away and they're driving up for the week."

"Oh." Kyungsoo paused, torn between _oh shit_ for Junmyeon, and _aw cute_ for Sehun. "Wanna bring them too ? I'm sure they'd be welcome."

Sehun shifted in his seat. "I don't know.. Tao's a little.. wary of meeting strangers. They've been burned before."

"Dude," said Jongdae seriously, "I promise you this. We're dumbasses but if there's a safe space in this town it's with us. I know for a fact that if a single person even so much as looks at Tao funny Baekhyun will kick the remains out of the house. Our dicks are many but our hearts are one."

Kyungsoo nodded. "I can't think of a single person he'd invite that would do that."

"I'll run it by them, then" Sehun smiled. "It would be super fun, I hope they agree !"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CANDY IS AMAZING 
> 
> WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED 
> 
> also Poppin ?? R U Ridin ???? All of them. The whole album. Beautipul. Amazing. Popect.


	73. Chapter 73

_Tak.. tak.._

Baekhyun ignored the first couple of noises, but on the third time he looked up from his desk and at the window. After a few seconds, a tiny rock appeared. _Tak.._

"What the fuck -" he mumbled, rising and going to the window, which he opened just in time to get hit by another small projectile.

"Fuck !! Sorry dude !"

"Kyungsoo ?"

Down in the garden below his window, Kyungsoo was standing by something that looked suspiciously like -

"I borrowed it from Chanyeol but I forgot to ask him how it works !" He yelled, kneeling by the boombox, and Baekhyun snorted.

"What the fuck are you doing ?"

"Hang on - I wanna get this right ! Okay, I got it -" he said after a few seconds of fiddling with the instrument. Baekhyun couldn't quite hear the song, but Kyungsoo straightened anyway and yelled up at him, "Okay Baek, I have something to say. Please, please go on a date with this dingus, cause I think you're pretty fly. I really want to be your boyfriend and I promise I'm -" He turned the volume up to the maximum and threw himself into a passionate lip-syncing performance to the lyrics,

_Never gonna give you up_

_Never gonna let you down_

_Never gonna run around and desert you_

As he mimed this line, he pointed straight at Baekhyun, who was laughing so hard he was almost falling out the window. He disappeared, still laughing, and there was a sound like a stampede of wildebeest before the front door flew open and Baekhyun flew out, throwing himself onto Kyungsoo. He was hiccuping with laughter.

"I can't - believe - you just fucking rick roll'd me - you magnificent -"

Kyungsoo started laughing as well, feeling very pleased with himself, and the ensuing kiss was as messy as it was tender.

"You ready for our date ?" He grinned.

"Fuck yeah, man. Although I don't know how it's going to live up this -"

When they arrived at the date destination, though, it became evident that Kyungsoo had thoroughly planned the date out and that getting rick roll'd was really only the beginning.

Baekhyun's eyes sparkled in the late afternoon sunshine as they entered the fairgrounds, where shouts of mirth rang out and a carousel of colours whirled by.

"Oh my god, Kyungsoo. I haven't been to a fair in so long. This is amazing."

"I'm glad you like it," Kyungsoo smiled and squeezed his hand.

They walked around, and Baekhyun felt like he was in a cheesy 80's romance movie, in the best possible way. They got corn dogs and watched a bunch of kids fight over a toy gun, trying to win a giant purple dinosaur.

Baekhyun pointed at the prize. "I gotta win that and give it to Jongdae."

"I think these games are rigged."

"I know," he replied, handing his corndog to Kyungsoo and walking decidedly towards the stall. He looked confident (and, in Kyungsoo's humble opinion, fucking hot) as he handed the man five bucks and seized the toy gun, aiming carefully. All of his shots missed.

"Fuck Jongdae, I guess," he shrugged and put the toy down, grinning at Kyungsoo.

Having finished the corndogs, Baekhyun spotted the only dangerous looking ride in the whole fair and dragged Kyungsoo onto it. They strapped themselves in and whirled around in plastic spaceships while early 2000's music blasted over the speakers. It was relatively tame as far as Kyungsoo was concerned, but Baekhyun yelled in glee and threw his arms up, and when they stepped off his hair was windswept.

"You're so fucking cute," said Kyungsoo, leaning in to kiss him. Baekhyun blushed in delight, then bounced off, having spotted an elote stall.

"Elote !! This stuff is amazing, you have to try it."

They watched as the woman in the stall slathered a corncob with mayonnaise, dipped it in cheese, covered it in chili powder and doused it with lime juice and tabasco.

"I don't like mayonnaise though -" said Kyungsoo, but Baekhyun handed him the corn and he tried it anyway, immediately changing his mind. "Ok this is literally the best thing I've ever tasted -"

"Right ?"

So they got another serving for him and kept walking around the fair, happily eating their elote. When they were finished, the day was fading into a delicate twilight and Kyungsoo pulled Baekhyun towards the Ferris wheel.

"A Ferris wheel ! I can't believe you listen to all the dumb stuff I say."

"Of course I listen to my boyfriend," grinned Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun laughed.

"Oh my god, you're so corny," but he wrapped himself around the other and kissed him softly. "I love it."

They were still smiling as they approached the Ferris wheel hand in hand. The line was short, and Kyungsoo kept trying to steal kisses so it was only when Baekhyun reached the front of the line that he noticed the operator.

He was a tall young man with long black hair, dark undereye bags and an air about him that reminded one of Hades. His eyes flickered down to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo's intertwined fingers, and an unpleasant grin grew on his face.

"Hi Hyunnie. Long time no see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK guys I am really really sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger but I'm not going to be able to update tomorrow or the day after
> 
> I've updated every day since chapter 21 (maybe sooner, that's as far as I can be sure - I don't actually remember u.u), so that is at least 52 consecutive days of posting 
> 
> and like damn that is something I had never thought myself capable of doing  
> im kinda bummed to be breaking my streak tbh lol 
> 
> But I try to have a few more chapters beyond what I'm posting so that I can sort of know what's coming and reread myself several times to streamline everything, correct incoherences and stuff (I missed a huge one some chapters back, don't know if anyone noticed but I've corrected it now and the secret is going with me to my grave)
> 
> (I'd forgotten that I'd made Kris Chanyeol's roommate in the first chapters lol) 
> 
> (yes I am writing this from the beyond)
> 
> (it's pretty chill tbh) 
> 
> And anyway, at the moment I haven't had time to write at all so I have no more chapters pre-written. Don't worry, I have the outline all written out though so I am not disappearing and posting will resume on the 29th of May. 
> 
> A few of you have said that my little chapters brighten your days a little bit and that is. the sweetest, most precious compliment to me - you don't even know u.u - and I'm sorry to let you down :(
> 
> I wish you all a very lovely couple of days and I hope you're all well, safe and healthy 
> 
> ~ and don't do anything Jongdae would do ~


	74. Chapter 74

"Who's this ?" Asked Kyungsoo, eyebrows creased.

Baekhyun gulped. "This is - it's -"

The man's grin slipped a little. "He hasn't told you about me ? I guess that makes sense." He looked Baekhyun up and down before adding, "You always meant more to me than I did to you."

"That's not - !"

"It's okay, Hyunnie. You don't have to pretend to care anymore."

Baekhyun let go of Kyungsoo and buried his face in his hands. "No -"

"Isn't he cute when he's flustered ?" The man turned his slimy, forced grin on Kyungsoo, who clenched his fists. "Try being a little rough, that always made him blush. Look at this - Baekhyun !" He barked, his tone violent. Baekhyun's face jerked up and to Kyungsoo's rage, he saw tears starting to gather in his eyes.

"You better fucking -" He started, coiling his arm back to punch the other, but Baekhyun put a hand out to stop him.

"You can fuck right off, Haneul," he said, his voice trembling yet determined.

"Aw," said Haneul with a smirk, "I'm just trying to help, Hyunnie. So your new _boyfriend_ knows how you like to be treated, you little slut _-_ " He reached up to smooth a strand of hair off Baekhyun's face, and Kyungsoo saw red. Before he could do anything though, Baekhyun had slapped the hand away and stood looking taller and stronger.

"You don't get to touch me anymore. And you don't get to talk me like that anymore. You've ruined enough as it is, so - fuck you, fuck your attitude and fuck your stupid face !"

And with that, he grabbed Kyungsoo's hand and marched off, ignoring his ex's calls. He only stopped when they were far away from the fairgrounds, in the cool darkness of twilight, where he let go of Kyungsoo's hand and sighed.

"I'm - sorry," he whispered, dropping to his knees.

"What the fuck do _you_ have to be sorry for ? He's the - the -" Kyungsoo seethed. "I should have - jesus fuck - How could he !"

Baekhyun flinched a little. "I feel like I ruined our date. You planned it out so well," he sniffed.

"Oh baby, no," Kyungsoo softened and kneeled down in front to him, laying a hand on his back. "You didn't ruin anything. If anything I'm the one who's sorry. I forgot to bring my shank."

This made Baekhyun laugh weakly. He leaned forward and keeled over into Kyungsoo's waiting arms. They stayed silent for a minute, the sounds of the fair in the distant background, and Kyungsoo pet Baekhyun's hair softly.

"Who could have known _he'_ d be there ?"

"I should have thought to check," said Kyungsoo quietly.

"That's silly.."

Kyungsoo kissed Baekhyun's forehead. "Are you okay ?"

"Yeah.. yeah I am," Baekhyun nodded against his chest. "I always thought it would be awful if I ever saw him again and.. at first it was.. but when he yelled I realized he just - he doesn't have that power anymore. And I'm angry about what he did but mostly I'm angry at him that I didn't get to go on the Ferris wheel with you."

"I'll find you another Ferris wheel," Kyungsoo promised, kissing the top of his head. "Did you have a good time before _he_ showed up ?"

"Oh my god, yeah. It was magical. It was literally the best date ever. How about you ?"

Kyungsoo smiled. "Any time I spend with you is... good."

"Just good ?"

"More than good," Kyungsoo kissed him again. "Wanna go home ?"

"Yeah, I think I need - a shower. I feel dirty just having seen him."

"He really is slimy, isn't he ?"

"And.. and even a little sad. I'm angry he spoiled our date but I also feel sort of sorry for him, if that makes sense ?"

Kyungsoo nodded. "It does. He doesn't seem like a very happy person."

Baekhyun got up, a little unsteadily, and pulled Kyungsoo up with him. "After I've showered though -"

"Hm ?"

"Will you fuck me ?"

"Hh-"

Baekhyun leaned in to whisper into his ear, "Will you give it to me hard, Kyungsoo ?"

"Y - yeah..."

They called an uber and on the ride home, one thought went through Kyungsoo's mind. Over and over again, he heard the unpleasant voice saying _try being a little rough_ , _try being a little rough_ , _try being a little rough_. He bit his lip and tried to push it away. Baekhyun was curled up against his side, watching the city go by. Everything was well. He'd confronted his abusive ex. He'd made it out stronger and closer to healing than he'd ever been.

And yet Kyungsoo's stomach clenched at the thought of the dark eyes and the angry tone, which he had heard himself use too often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back as promised <3 
> 
> You guys were all so sweet ?? Thank you for the comments and for being patient and so nice. i love you all <3 
> 
> And now -- for the angst !!! A little bit of it. Not a great big deal cause that's no fun. Just enough to keep these two idiots on their toes, eh.
> 
> A little bit of angst and a whole lot of Kyungsoo kissing Baekhyun 
> 
> while I was rereading myself i wondered if it was too much 
> 
> lol jk
> 
> it could never be.


	75. Chapter 75

"You sure this is - okay ?"

Baekhyun, on all fours, shifted impatiently. " _Yes._ Get _in there_ already _._ "

Kyungsoo sat back to roll a condom on and then straightened, putting his hands on Baekhyun's hips and lining his dick up. He hesitated for a second, and a voice flashed through his mind -

_Try being a little rough_

"Fuck off," he growled under his breath and pushed in with one smooth thrust.

"Oh god," moaned Baekhyun, grasping the sheets. "You're - gigantic.."

"You like it ?" He felt his own voice falter a little as he thrust back and forth into Baekhyun, who was moaning like a - like a -

_little slut_

"Shit," muttered Kyungsoo.

"You ok ?" Baekhyun looked over his shoulder, face flushed.

"I just - sorry, I'm having trouble -"

_Try being a little rough_

He slipped out on a back thrust. "Fuck -"

Baekhyun turned over. "Do you not - want this ?" The ghost of an _anymore_ floated away, clearly visible to both of them, and Kyungsoo leaned down to kiss the concern off his face.

"Of course I want it. Are you kidding me ? You're so fucking sexy -"

Baekhyun smiled and pulled him closer for another deeper kiss. Kyungsoo found himself lined up again so he pushed in slowly, letting himself savour the feeling of Baekhyun opening up for him easily.

"Jesus tapdancing -" Groaned Baekhyun, throwing his head back. Kyungsoo kissed his neck and ran a hand up his toned chest. He liked it better when he could see the other's face anyway.

"So damn - beautiful," he muttered in between deep, powerful thrusts, kissing Baekhyun's jaw.

"Do I - deserve this, Soo ?"

"Yeah -"

"Are you going to give it to me -"

"I _am_ giving it to you," he growled.

"Oh yeah - shit - love it when you growl."

Kyungsoo picked up the pace a little. "You like growling ?"

"Uh huh," Baekhyun was bucking from the power of Kyungsoo's hips. "I - secretely - wish I could - fuck a werewolf."

Kyungsoo stilled. "What the _fuck_ ?"

Baekhyun's eyes flew open. "What ?"

"You want to fuck a _werewolf_ ?"

"Not necessarily in his wolf shape, although that might be hot -"

"What the _fuck_ Baekhyun. You want to fuck a wolf ?"

"A _were_ wolf. Not the same thing. I'm not into zoophilia."

Kyungsoo gave him an unconvinced look. "Seems pretty close."

"No - ok, look, it depends on what universe we're operating in, but in most werewolf alternate universes, they still have a human mind in their wolf shape, they're very distinct from wolves - they're just larger, thicker, hairier humans - and growlier. I don't know, I feel like I'd get totally wrecked and that's not something I'd be against."

He kissed Kyungsoo's cheek delicately and nuzzled up against him. "Sorry if I'm weirding you out. But you already knew I like it rough sometimes, right ?"

"Yeah.." whispered Kyungsoo.

_Try being a little rough_

He shook his head and repeated a little louder, "Yeah. Sorry, I guess the wolf part threw me off a little. I didn't mean to kinkshame you."

"It's not a kink," Baekhyun pushed him onto his back and straddled him, lowering himself onto his dick again. "More like - a fantasy ? It's never going to happen and I don't know if I really _want_ it too, y'know ?"

"I - I guess -"

Something about having Baekhyun on top of him, giving him sultry looks and bouncing on his dick, made it very hard to focus on the conversation.

"Fuck," he growled and grabbed his boyfriend's hips. Baekhyun relaxed into his hold and allowed himself to be slammed down onto Kyungsoo's dick over and over again, his pleasure getting more and more vocal as they neared their respective climaxes.

"'M close," growled Kyungsoo again, so Baekhyun reached down to jerk himself off.

Kyungsoo came first, and due to his orgasm haze he was too slow to get out of the way when Baekhyun came too, ejaculating all over his chest.

"Fuck. Why do I always end up covered in cum ?"

"So I can get my dessert," panted Baekhyun, licking his lips and getting to work cleaning him up with his tongue. As he'd foreseen weeks ago, this was very effective in leading to round two, where Kyungsoo allowed himself to be picked up and fucked against Baekhyun's bedroom door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I been reading werewolf smut 
> 
> maybe
> 
> I'll never tell 
> 
> (awoo)


	76. Chapter 76

"Thanks for coming along," Chanyeol grinned as they entered the gym. "I don't like doing weights alone. Always feels weird to ask strangers to spot me."

"No problem. I was just thinking a workout would do me good," replied Kyungsoo. He mentally waved off the weirdness of the previous evening, when Haneul's words kept intruding in his brain at random times, as they changed into workout gear and approached the weightlifting section.

Fortunately Chanyeol had all the necessary stats in mind, so Kyungsoo let him load up the weights.

"Okay, you can go ahead," Chanyeol signalled him to get into position.

Lying on the bench, Kyungsoo reached up and grasped the metal bar. He took a big breath and heaved it up and off its stand. It was hard work but Chanyeol was keeping track of his reps. Kyungsoo only ever did this particular workout with him anyway.

"1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.." Chanyeol counted him off and signalled, "ok stop."

Kyungsoo sat up slowly, breathing hard. He got up to let Chanyeol lie down and have his turn, and they switched back and forth a couple times. His arms were getting really tired, but he dispelled his friend's concerns.

"You sure ? We can stop now."

"No, let's keep going." He craved the quiet emptiness of an intense workout. Maybe he should have gone for cardio instead, but he hated cardio.

He lay back down and reached up, hands curling around the bar.

"Whenever you're ready -"

He heaved, and -

_Try being a little rough_

The bar slipped from his grasp and fell onto his chest, hard. Chanyeol immediately grabbed it with both hands and hauled it off him, but Kyungsoo stayed down, flat on his back, trying and failing to breathe in.

"Fuck fuck fuck," Chanyeol's face reappeared above him. "Jesus fuck dude, are you okay ?"

"I'm - ok - I think," he managed to squeeze a little air out of his lungs and get a little back in, but the intake hurt like hell.

Chanyeol circled the bar and helped him sit up.

"Fuck -" gasped Kyungsoo, "Feels like - an elephant -"

"Let's get you to the gym nurse." Chanyeol helped him up and half-carried him to the front desk, where they were pointed to a tiny medical bay.

The gym nurse was a short woman with a kindly air and arms worthy of young Jackie Chan. She gave him a cursory examination, her face carefully blank.

"Okay, you don't have any superficial symptoms of internal bleeding -"

"That's good !"

She gave Chanyeol a quelling look. "However, due to the nature of your injury I'm going to have to insist you go to the ER."

"Fuck," whispered Kyungsoo. Speaking out loud took too much air.

"I'll take you," said Chanyeol at the same time, pulling his phone out.

"No, no you - stay - finish your - work out."

Both his friend and the nurse looked extremely unimpressed.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer."

"Ok -" There was too little air in his lungs to argue anyway.

They waited in the med bay for the uber to arrive, but to Kyungsoo's surprise Chanyeol greeted the driver, a guy with white blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail and an air of mischief reminiscent of Baekhyun, like a friend.

"Hey Heechul, thanks for coming !"

"No problem, been there." He nodded at them in greeting, "You must be Kyungsoo ?"

Kyungsoo nodded and got in the back seat, wondering how he had never actually met Chanyeol's roommate before. As though he were guessing his thoughts, Heechul gave him a twinkling look in the rearview mirror.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Chanyeol talks about you a lot."

"Nice to - meet you - too," He whispered back and winced.

Heechul turned out to be really talkative, and Kyungsoo was grateful for the distraction from the pain in his chest. He was an animal photographer, of all things, and spent weeks on end abroad, photographing various animals and campaigning for nature conservation in general. When they arrived at the hospital, he dropped them off with a cheerful,

"Good luck in there ! Let's hang out sometime, okay ?"

They walked up to front desk and were given a chart to fill in, which Chanyeol grabbed out of Kyungsoo's hands to fill in his stead. He knew most of the information and only had to ask for a couple things.

"Emergency contact ?"

Kyungsoo paused. He didn't have an emergency contact. His mom ? She'd grumble about his having gone to the hospital. What about Baekhyun ? He bit his lip. Was it too early for that step ? And how would he explain this injury to him ? He'd probably feel guilty, for some dumb reason.

"Put in - your - info."

"Aw, bro - seriously ? I'm touched."

Chanyeol looked like he was going to give him a hug, but fortunately for Kyungsoo's chest he refrained. He did put a delicate arm around his shoulder while they waited to be seen, though, and that was very comforting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear oh dear 
> 
> (can I get a hell yeah for young Jackie Chan tho)


	77. Chapter 77

"No, look -" Baekhyun waved Yixing's smoke out of his face, "I'm not saying I'd go out to a zoo and find a wolf and get down and dirty with it, that's just gross."

"You did say you'd fuck a werewolf in his wolf shape, though," replied Yixing very mildly.

" _That's not the same thing !_ "

"Well, it kind of is. If a werewolf is half-man and half-wolf, then it's fair to assume when he transforms he's fully a wolf," Jongdae said from the couch. "So if you'd fuck him then, you'd be fucking a wolf."

"First of all, no -" Began Baekhyun, raising an indignant finger. "That's not the parameters I'm operating with -"

Yixing blew another puff of smoke towards the ceiling and said to no one in particular, "We really do need to make it clear what alternate universe's rules we're using when we get into these debates."

He handed the blunt to Baekhyun on the floor, who waved him off, so he passed it to Jongdae instead while Baekhyun continued, "No thanks. And yeah, definitely. I'm not picturing like, _Twilight_ werewolves. I'm talking about a whole other species - something between wolf and man. A real fucking werewolf basically, not some lame shapeshifter."

"Shapeshifters aren't lame," replied Yixing with a frown.

"Yeah but if you do it with a shapeshifter while he's in animal shape, that counts as zoophilia right ?" When they both nodded, he continued, "But if a werewolf is a separate species that's _related_ to humans, like neanderthals -"

"Neanderthals aren't another fucking species -" Interrupted Jongdae.

Baekhyun glared at him. "You of all people ought to know they are, you goddamn biology major."

"Anything that concerns humans is boring," Jongdae shrugged. "Give me plants or give me death."

"Then don't argue with me."

"But it's fun."

"I want to hear Baekhyun's point about the neanderthals, though," Yixing cut in.

"Thanks Xing."

"I feel like it's going to be easy to argue with," he added with a grin for Baekhyun, who rolled over on his back in frustration.

"AUGH !!! You're BOTH the worst !"

"Sorry, sorry -" Yixing laughed, and Jongdae got up to get some snacks so Baekhyun stole the couch.

"So okay -" Jongdae said as he came back in with a big bag of doritos, "Werewolves ?"

"Right," Baekhyun took a handful of chips, "So homo sapiens and neanderthal were two different species that totally boned right ?"

Both Yixing and Jongdae shrugged.

"They did," continued Baekhyun, "And that's why some of us have neanderthal genome in us - just a little bit."

"That sounds wrong but I don't know enough about genetics to argue," answered Yixing. He let himself flow out over both sides of the armchair as he took another long drag.

"So if werewolves are a species that's really, really close to humans, like neanderthals, then fucking a werewolf is _interspecies_ sex but it's _not zoophilia._ "

There was a short silence, then both his friends spoke at the same time.

"I'll allow it," said Yixing.

"That's nonsense," said Jongdae.

Baekhyun crossed his arms, defeated. "You just want to shame my kinks. And it's not even a kink ! Just a fun thought," he sulked.

"So what did Kyungsoo think about the werewolf thing ?" Asked Yixing before Jongdae could answer.

" _Kyungsoo_ apologized for kinkshaming me," Baekhyun glared at Jongdae, who climbed off the floor and up onto the couch to squish his friend. Fortunately for Baekhyun, the other's phone began to ring right at that point.

"Saved by the bell," Jongdae told Baekhyun before answering with a very obnoxious, "Wasssuuuuuuup ?"

There was indistinct muttering in Chanyeol's deep voice on the other end and the smile slid off Jongdae's face. Baekhyun felt his stomach twist a little, but he dismissed it, focusing instead on the telephone conversation.

"Hang on, babe, slow down." The muttering continued, then, "Holy shit, is he okay ? Okay. Yeah. Yeah he's here. I'll tell him - okay. Yeah babe, love you too. Keep me posted."

"Everything okay ?" Baekhyun asked with forced airiness.

"Um - Kyungsoo's been injured."

"WHAT ??" He jumped up, his stomach freefalling away.

"He's probably okay," Jongdae put out a steadying hand, "They were weightlifting and the bar fell on his chest. They're at the hospital getting all kinds of tests done right now."

"Jesus fucking -" He flew out of the apartment before Jongdae and Yixing could say anything more. A few blocks out, he realized that he'd forgotten his phone and thus, wouldn't be able to call an uber. But this thought didn't slow him down, and he set off at a fast jog towards the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so 
> 
> since it's coming up again I feel like I need to add a disclaimer here : the opinions of these characters do not reflect my own. I would not, myself, do it with a werewolf. 
> 
> \- unless the werewolf is Rhys, from The Hunt 
> 
> https://tapas.io/series/TheHunt
> 
> (it's a BL webcomic about a guy named Avery hunting ghosts with his childhood friend Rhys, who is a werewolf and thicc)


	78. Chapter 78

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be adressing current events in the end notes. I think it's important but I also realize that some of you come here in order to escape so I'm putting a warning here, in case you're having a bad anxiety day.

"Kyungsoo ! Kyungsoo !" A loud, familiar voice called from across the hospital hall when they were finally released, hours later.

"You called Baek ?" He said to Chanyeol as Baekhyun approached them, jacketless and sweaty.

"He was with Jongdae when I called him - I figured he ought to know. He's your boyfriend, isn't he ?"

"Yeah," Kyungsoo nodded, feeling a little weird.

Baekhyun stopped a couple feet away, eyebrows creased. "You ok ?"

The sight of his face loosened the knots in Kyungsoo's stomach a little and he reached out to kiss him lightly.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he said quietly when Baekhyun pulled back. "I can breathe again, and they said there'd be no lasting damage. Did you.. run here ?"

Baekhyun nodded. "Why didn't you call me ? I had to hear about from _Jongdae_." He bit his lip, examining Kyungsoo's face and chest as though looking for a sign of injury. "If you'd told me, I could have - I could have been here with you. What tests did they do ?"

"I didn't want to worry you -"

"Kyungsoo," the pain was evident in Baekhyun's voice, "I _want_ to be worried about you when you get hurt."

Kyungsoo paused, the statement hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Fuck," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I hadn't thought about that."

"Oh look," said Chanyeol airily before ambling off, "They have dinosaurs in the gift shop."

Baekhyun took Kyungsoo's hand in his, not quite meeting his eye as he continued, "Being your boyfriend means to me that I support you when you're not okay. It's not just hanging out and sucking your dick."

"I - I'm -" He tried to explain but had to stop and take a shaky, painful breath. "I'm sorry. I never considered it that way."

"But you've had several girlfriends right ?"

"Yeah but -" he considered, "I don't know. They never stuck around for the hard parts. They always just sort of - melted away."

Baekhyun stared at him. "That's fucked up," he said eventually, squeezing his hand, "And it's not how I want to do it. I want to be there for you when you need me."

"Thank you," Kyungsoo hugged him carefully. "I'll remember it. And I'm sorry I didn't call you." He covered Baekhyun's upset face in kisses until he started laughing and trying to free himself from the embrace.

"Ouch -" Kyungsoo winced when Baekhyun pushed at his chest.

"Oh fuck, sorry ! Sorry !"

"It's okay," he replied, bending over a little to help himself draw breath.

"I'm so sorry, Soo !"

"It's fine, it's fine - don't worry. I think we might have to take it easy for a few days though."

"Absolutely ! You put your feet up and get better, and I'll take care of everything."

"I can still do _some_ stuff -"

"No no," Baekhyun gestured as though he were holding a sword, "Let me be your champion ! I'll slay all the dragons and suck all the dicks you need -" He stopped and gave Kyungsoo a sheepish look. "Well. You know what I mean. Just the one dick, hopefully."

"Of course just the one dick," Kyungsoo growled. "I'm not sharing my boyfriend out, Jesus."

"Is everything okay or are my two dads getting a divorce ?" Called Chanyeol from the gift shop. He was holding, not one, but two dinosaurs and one penguin.

"We're good, but don't start calling us that - I'm younger than you," said Kyungsoo, accepting the plush penguin that Chanyeol was handing him and following him out to the entrance.

"You're _younger_ than Yeol ?" Baekhyun, who was walking by him, stopped in his tracks. "Hang on. I just realized I have no idea how old you are. _Oh my god_. HOW CAN I NOT KNOW MY OWN BOYFRIEND'S AGE ??"

"It's not a big deal, is it ?"

"I just - assumed you were my age cause we had that one class together !"

Kyungsoo winced at the thought of how mean he'd been to Baekhyun during that class.

_try being a little rough_

"Shit," he muttered, giving his head a shake to rid himself of the unpleasant voice.

"Kyungsoo skipped a class in primary school. He's one year younger than I am," Chanyeol explained, pulling out his phone to call an uber.

"And how old are _you_ ?"

"I'm 20, but my birthday's in november."

Baekhyun turned to Kyungsoo. "So you're 19 ?!"

"No, I'm 20 as well. My birthday's in january."

"Damn," Baekhyun leaned against the hospital wall, "I feel old."

"You're just 21. It's not that much older."

"How do you know my age and I don't know yours ?!"

"Dude," said Kyungsoo, "You've been planning your 22nd birthday party for weeks."

"Oh." But he still looked weirded out, so Kyungsoo took his hand and kissed him.

"It's not a big deal. I don't care that you're decrepit," he grinned and threw his arms up to defend himself from Baekhyun's retaliation, "I'm kidding ! Kidding ! Please don't hit me, I'm hurt."

"You're going to use that a lot in the coming days, aren't you ?" But there was no bite to Baekhyun's tone, and Kyungsoo grinned at him. He was definitely going to get some use out of his injury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys 
> 
> I should have said this before now but I honestly just.. didn't even realize that this is technically a platform and that I'm technically a creator. Idk, I love fanfics but I get pretty bad impostor syndrome about writing them - to the degree that I barely even consider myself an author. But that's not the point - 
> 
> I did go back and forth a little on this cause I realize this is kind of a safe space to be distracted and not think about the awful things happening in the world. 
> 
> But I don't want to stay silent, even here, even though I want to provide a space where you can turn off the negativity. Silence is violence, and my responsibility as a human being is to say it as loud as I can, wherever I can : 
> 
> Black lives matter. If you subscribe to any form of racist thinking you are not welcome here.  
> 
> 
>   
> [ Here is the petition demanding justice for George Floyd](https://www.justiceforbigfloyd.com/?fbclid=IwAR2zw3p8g9VQ9NrhZPe7tcGzOcL9TkNAGcqwHyGohzzdblhy0si4YJm5p1I)
> 
> [Here's a list of bail funds to donate to if you're able](https://bailfunds.github.io/?fbclid=IwAR2r3l_30CRIuTXPHspkMsM-5U5F2BZPTyE3-hMXXiOo-tl-zqIv0MK_bP0)
> 
> If you don't have the possibility of doing that right now, it's ok. Times are hard, I know. 
> 
> [Here's a youtube video you can stream with adblockers off, the Ad revenue entirely goes to a variety of different causes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgLa25fDHM)
> 
> [Here is a free Yale course on African American history](https://oyc.yale.edu/african-american-studies/afam-162)
> 
> [Here is a carrd of ways you can help](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/)
> 
> If you have anything else you want to share, you're welcome to do so in the comments. 
> 
> If you're in the USA right now and you're protesting I'm proud of you. I wish I could be there too. Be careful and take care of yourselves. 
> 
> And if the world seems too dark and scary right now, I'm sorry. Be safe, take care, and ask for help if it's becoming too much to deal with <3


	79. Chapter 79

"Baek," said Kyungsoo one evening as they studied. His chest still hurt a little, and the pain reminded him constantly of the reason why he'd gotten injured in the first place. Haneul's words had continued to intrude on his mind at random, and each time they came with a memory of himself treating Baekhyun poorly. At first he'd decided on keeping it to himself so as not to upset the other, but the more he thought about it, the more he became convinced that he owed him an apology.

Baekhyun looked up from his own notes. He'd evidently been doodling in the margins for some time and his gaze was a little clouded.

"What's up ?" He asked as he stretched. "Ready for some food ?"

"Can I talk to you about something ?"

Baekhyun changed to an attentive cross-legged position. "I'm all years."

"All - what ?"

"Years. I'm ready to give you the wisdom of my experience."

"It's 'all _ears_ ' _,_ not 'all years'."

"Pretty sure it's 'all years'. Why would anyone be 'all ears' ?"

"Cause they're listening really carefully ?"

"No," Baekhyun shook his head. "I'm sure it's 'all years'. It just makes more sense that way."

They had to look it up, and Baekhyun was extremely disgruntled when he was proven wrong. "But it doesn't make sense ! Sorry, though - you wanted to talk to me about something ?"

"Yeah," Kyungsoo remembered suddenly. "It's just - I've been thinking a lot and I.. I think I owe you an apology."

"What for ?"

"Last semester, and even this winter, I was.. really mean to you."

"Oh," Baekhyun paused and considered this. "But I was picking on you so you'd react like that, though."

"But why ?"

"I don't know, I just.. I wanted to get your attention I guess ? And I thought you looked hot when you were angry."

And there it was. Kyungsoo sighed and rubbed one hand over his face. He'd been afraid of this, but there was no avoiding it now.

"Baekhyun", he said very quietly, "do I... Do I remind you of Haneul ?"

" _What_ ?"

"Is that why you were attracted to me ? Because I remind you of him ?"

"What the _fuck,_ Kyungsoo," Baekhyun gave him a look of pure disbelief. "Of course you don't fucking remind me of him. You've nothing in common with that piece of shit !"

"I don't know," replied Kyungsoo, still very quietly, looking at his hands. "I - I've been a little rough with you. I've - thrown stuff at you."

"Because I slapped your ass ? I'm the one who owes you an apology if anything -"

But Kyungsoo continued. "I've pushed you into walls."

"That was _hot_ -"

"And I've told you to shut up more times than I can count."

"Dude, I'll ramble on for hours unless someone stops me."

"I just -" Kyungsoo took a deep breath and winced a little, "- I feel like I've been mean. Like _he_ was. And what if you liked me," he felt his own lip tremble a fraction, " _because_ of that ? I can't be that person anymore - and you deserve so much better." To his own surprise, he felt his eyes fill with tears that he couldn't swallow down, so he bit his lip hard and curled up into himself, hiding his face.

"Kyungsoo," Baekhyun unfolded himself and came to sit on Kyungsoo's lap, uncurling him and taking his face in both hands to look into his eyes. "I never, ever want to go through what he did to me again. It was the worst time of my life. You're the furthest from that I could have dreamed." He kissed at the tears that were still falling. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You treat me like I'm precious and amazing -"

"You _are_ precious and amazing," Kyungsoo sniffed, reaching around to hug him tightly.

"But that's not why I like you," Baekhyun said quietly into his neck. "And I definitely don't like you because you remind me of my asshat ex, either, because you don't remind me of him at all."

"Are you _sure_ ?" Kyungsoo whispered, eyes closed, trying very hard to let Baekhyun's voice smooth out the wrinkles in his heart.

"Of course I'm sure. I like you because you're funny, and you're really fucking smart, and you take care of Junmyeon, and you defend your friends, and you never ask people for anything in return for your affection. You're kind and you're thoughtful, and that's fucking hot."

He pulled back and took Kyungsoo's face back into his hands. "And I like you because you're careful, you don't just rush into stuff. You take your time to think things through. And you're really good at grounding me when I start to get back on my bullshit and it's too much."

"I'm sorry -" Kyungsoo blinked.

"No, it's good !" said Baekhyun, wiping his face. "Damn it, don't apologize when I compliment you. You just - you make me feel safe, Kyungsoo. It's like I'm home. That's why I like you, okay ?"

"Okay," he said pitifully, but his tears had stopped and he did feel better. It didn't hurt that Baekhyun gave him a tender kiss once he'd blown his nose.

"Has this been bothering you since the fair ?" Baekhyun asked after they separated.

"Yeah..."

"Hang on," a dark look came over his soft features, "Is this why you injured yourself ?"

"Um -"

"I'm going to FUCKING KILL THAT ASSHOLE," He roared, jumping up. He looked like he was about to walk out and make good on his threat, so Kyungsoo tackled him to the bed, which only hurt a little, and smothered him.

"Kyungsoo let me go I gotta - teach him - a fucking - lesson !"

"Stop fighting back, you're hurting me."

Baekhyun immediately stilled. "Then let me go."

"No, you have to stay here. I'd miss you if you went to prison for murder."

"It would be worth it," said Baekhyun darkly, but he looked a little calmer.

In order to distract him completely, Kyungsoo rolled his hips against his dick.

"You're not seducing me out of avenging you -"

"We'll see about that," Kyungsoo muttered and attacked his neck as he slipped a hand into Baekhyun's pants.

"Oh - fuck - yeah - Oh god - right there -"

And Baekhyun was, once again, proven wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these boys make me very soft <3


	80. Chapter 80

"And have you had any time to revise for finals with all that going on ?" Jongin asked, delicately picking at his homemade pasta salad, once Kyungsoo had told him all about meeting Haneul, getting squished and having a personal crisis. Next to him, a stunning young man was eating carrot sticks dipped in hummus, and Kyungsoo felt like he was sitting with movie stars.

"Yeah, I mean, breathing hurts a little but I can still reread my notes," he shrugged.

Taemin smiled at him sweetly. "Your relationship with Baekhyun sounds wonderful."

"Thanks," he shifted in his seat. "It.. feels nice."

Jongin snorted. "I sure hope so."

"To be able to talk to him, I mean. I never feel like he's going to judge me." He remembered one girlfriend who'd been less than impressed by something he'd said. Though he'd forgotten the context, the face she'd made and the words were still clear in his mind : _men shouldn't want to talk about that stuff_ , _Kyungsoo. You're being weird._

"That's so important," Taemin nodded.

"Also.. I don't know, it's kind of weird but.. I feel like I've never dated someone I was friends with before this ? Like, once the honeymoon phase was over we'd realize hanging out just wasn't that fun."

"I get that," Jongin nodded. "It happened to me once and it was just so - disgruntling. I felt like I wasted my time. So then I just stopped dating, until -"

He gave Taemin a look of nauseating tenderness which might have made Kyungsoo pretend to barf in the past, but he knew full well that he'd made that exact same face at Baekhyun no later than the previous day, so he refrained.

"Gross," Jongdae commented instead, nearing the table with a tray full of food.

"Someone's got an appetite," replied Jongin, eyeing the tray. There were three burgers on it, and at least as many boxes of fries.

Jongdae grinned suggestively. "It's for Chanyeol. He's a growing boy."

Jongin's eyebrows rose, but Kyungsoo shook his head at him quickly, muttering, "Don't ask. You don't want to know."

"Oh come on, Kyungsoo," said Jongdae lightly, popping a fry into his mouth, "Don't pretend like you and Baekkie don't do weird stuff too."

"Not that weird -"

Jongdae leaned across the table to stare at him menacingly as he uttered the words, "a-fucking-woo."

Jongin and Taemin looked at each other in confusion, while Kyungsoo glared at Jongdae.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jongdae returned to his fries, very satisfied with himself. "Sure you do, growly boy."

"What's going on ?" Asked Baekhyun, sitting down close to Kyungsoo, who was very annoyed to see that Baekhyun apparently wasn't going to eat anything but a can of redbull. He broke off half his sandwich and set it in front of him.

"Werewolves," said Jongdae lightly, pushing a box of fries at him to join the half-sandwich. Baekhyun's eyebrows rose.

"What about them ?"

"Hot, or not ?"

"Definitely hot," said Taemin immediately, to everyone's surprise. "What ? They're hot ! They're buff and strong - and they have deep voices."

"It would be kind of messy though, wouldn't it ?" Jongin pondered. "To be with a werewolf, I mean."

"Sometimes messy's good," answered his boyfriend, and Jongin gave him a scandalized look.

"Agreed," Baekhyun cut in. "Messy can be really hot. Yay on the werewolves for me."

"Heathens," muttered Jongin, shaking his head.

Jongdae turned to him. "Would you rather do it with a vampire then, Jongin ?"

"Is there no third option ? Isn't it kind of limiting to stick to that dichotomy ?"

"You could add witches in," supplied Baekhyun helpfully, but Jongdae shook his head.

"Technically witches are humans too. We need another species here."

"Oh !" Jongin perked up, "How about the dragonborn ?" When everyone looked at him, he added, "What ? They're so cool. I think we don't talk about the dragonborn enough."

"That's just because you were a dragonborn bard last time we played DnD, you wouldn't actually _fuck_ a -" said Kyungsoo, but he was immediately interrupted by Baekhyun.

"You guys play DnD ? That's so cool, I've always wanted to try it !"

"We haven't had time to play in a while with uni and -" Kyungsoo explained, but he was, once again, immediately interrupted. As though he'd been summoned by Baekhyun's words, Chanyeol appeared by the table at that moment, eyes wide and excited :

"You guys need a DM ? I'll DM, I love being the DM. When are we playing ? Does anybody need dice ? I have _a lot_ of dice."

And thus it was settled that an introduction to DnD would take place in the following days at Baekhyun's house, because he basically lived in a manor and he cared the most about thematic appropriateness anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing will ever give me as much satisfaction as those times EXO played Mafia and Chanyeol was the game master
> 
> and Kyungsoo was like, guys im literally the mafia
> 
> and everyone ignored him 
> 
> and Baekhyun was actually flapping his arms cause he was so excited
> 
> ugh i love them sm


	81. Chapter 81

"You look really pretty on your knees, Baek," whispered Kyungsoo, running a hand through the other's hair.

Baekhyun, mouth stretched around Kyungsoo's dick, looked up at him and winked before accelerating his rhythm.

Kyungsoo had to lean back on the hallway's wall to take a deep shaky breath and stop himself from coming right there and then. They were in the landing right next to Baekhyun's room, but that was still apparently too far for Baekhyun who had needed a dick in his mouth right then and there.

Not that Kyungsoo was going to complain. This was pretty much the perfect blowjob as far as he was concerned - sloppy, enthusiastic, and involving Baekhyun.

"You really like my dick don't you ?" He panted.

Baekhyun gave him a look that very clearly meant both "stop asking questions, I'm busy" and "yeah, doy", and Kyungsoo laughed.

"Look at you, on your knees and worshipping it like it's - oh god -"

In retaliation, Baekhyun had slid one finger into his asshole and the combined sensation of his dick getting serviced and his prostate stimulated was way too good to bother with words anymore.

Secure in the knowledge that there was no one around but them, Kyungsoo let himself go against the wall, cursing and moaning loudly.

"Jesus fuck Baek - you're so, so good.. fuck, yes - oh my god -"

"You're taking the lord's name in vain," said an amused voice from the foot of the stairs, and both of them jumped out of their skins, Baekhyun falling backwards onto his ass and Kyungsoo careening into a dresser.

"GRANDMA WHAT THE FUCK -" Yelled Baekhyun, while Kyungsoo hastily tucked himself back in and tried not to succumb to a heart attack.

A kind face with a very entertained expression appeared on the stairs. "Baekkie, love, you have a bedroom for that sort of thing."

Baekhyun wiped the saliva from his face and got up. "When did you get home ?"

"Just this minute." His grandmother scaled the last of stairs, carrying a small bag. She was a gorgeous woman with a sheet of long silver hair that swung down to her waist and the air of someone who had stopped giving any fucks about anything a long time ago.

She patted Baekhyun on the back. "I've missed you, darling. I'll give you a kiss later, though, considering -" She gave Kyungsoo a look, "- the circumstances."

"This is Kyungsoo, grandma," said Baekhyun, puffing up with pride, "He's my boyfriend."

Kyungsoo automatically bowed, feeling both very conscious of his confused dick and extremely thankful that he was wearing black pants that would hide how much of Baekhyun's saliva had gotten onto him. "It's lovely to meet you, thank you for your hospitality."

She broke into the same crescent eyed smile Kyungsoo particularly loved to see on Baekhyun and said, "Oh, your _boyfriend_ ! Now that's what I like to hear." She bowed back at Kyungsoo. "I'm Hyo-Sonn, Baekhyun's grandmother."

"Sorry for - um -" But there was no way to put it politely, so he let himself trail off. It didn't matter much, because she turned back to Baekhyun, chatting happily and fussing with his hair.

"How've you been, my darling ? Your hair is growing nicely. I'm sorry I was gone so long - Suzy's friend - oh you'll meet Suzy soon, don't worry - and her _friend_ ! He invited us to his house on Lake Constance -"

"You went to Switzerland ?"

"After Croatia, yes."

"You went to _Croatia_ ?" Baekhyun gaped. "I thought you were doing a retreat in an Armenian monastery."

"At first yes, but you have to be open to opportunity, my love. Come on, you get my bags out of the car, I'll make a cup of tea and we'll have a chat."

Baekhyun bounced down the stairs. Kyungsoo started to follow, but Hyo-Sonn stopped him. "Come help me make tea, Kyungsoo."

She put her small bag down in her room, which was even larger than Baekhyun's, and descended the staircase with all the elegance of a dowager queen. He followed her to the kitchen and sat down in the chair she gestured him to.

"The kitchen is cleaner than it usually is when I come back from one of my trips," she commented, getting a teapot out of a cupboard.

"I um - I made dinner for us yesterday," answered Kyungsoo, realizing that this didn't really explain anything and wishing he were better at thinking on his feet, but she smiled at him.

"That's good. So he's been eating well ?"

"It depends. He skips lunch pretty often, but Jongdae and I make sure he gets some food -"

She nodded and went to the tea cabinet, which was full to bursting. "Jongdae's a good boy. I'm glad you're both watching. How long have you been together, sweetie ?"

"Oh um - it's a little complicated. We first kissed in January, but it - took a while to get things going after that."

"I see. You don't seem like his usual partners," she commented, setting the kettle on the stove and turning to give him a piercing look.

"I - I suppose not ?" This was definitely one of the weirder conversations he'd ever been part of. Just a few minutes ago he'd been getting his dick sucked, and now he was getting grilled by this strange and stunning woman who definitely had a knife hidden somewhere in her dress. She'd probably laugh like a movie star while stabbing you, thought Kyungsoo.

"First of all he's not trying to hide you from me, so he must be serious about you."

"I -" But he stopped. Baekhyun had never actually expressed it in so many words. But at the same time, he'd agreed to be his boyfriend and that was such a massive step that Kyungsoo hadn't even thought to worry about how committed he was. "I think he is, but he also - needs to be a little careful."

"And you're alright with careful ?"

"I am," he nodded slowly. "I'm fine with whatever he needs." It didn't really matter if Baekhyun loved him or not, he figured, as long as they could spend time together. He'd get there eventually.

She gave him another piercing look, then smiled. "You seem like a patient young man, and I think that's exactly what my silly grandson needs. You run up to his room then, love," she gestured him off, "I'll send him straight up. You two have unfinished business."

Trying to figure out what the fuck had happened, Kyungsoo got up and exited the room. As he climbed up the stairs, she poked her head out of the kitchen door and added, "Lovely to meet you, darling, and remember that going ass to mouth is a recipe for infections !"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyo-Sonn is the woman I aspire to be when I'm older


	82. Chapter 82

"So how was the Dungeons and Dragons game, Baekhyun ?" Asked Junmyeon one day while they were studying in the clover.

"Really fun ! We're going to play again after the finals. Chanyeol's a great DM."

Kyungsoo nodded. "He really is, isn't he ? You should have seen him when he started, though. I played the first game he DM'd. We were _twelve._ "

"Was it really bad ?"

"He was into these books, I don't know if you remember - about clans of cats fighting and stuff ?"

"WARRIOR CATS !" Yelled Baekhyun, bouncing up and down. "That shit was the _bomb_."

"Well he was in the middle of reading them so he had us do this quest with like - ferrets and mice and stuff. And we killed the wildcat that ruled over the forest at the end."

Junmyeon frowned. "That doesn't sound like Warrior Cats _or_ DnD."

"He adapted the rules pretty heavily so it would work."

"But," Baekhyun squinted at him, "There aren't really any ferret characters in Warrior Cats."

Right at this point, Chanyeol appeared out of the bushes and flopped down onto the clover with the group. Jongdae, who'd been napping, woke up immediately and greeted him with a raised eyebrow.

"You're sweaty."

"Been working out," Chanyeol explained, taking a swig of water. He was in a tank top and his biceps were glistening with sweat.

"That's hot," said Jongdae, leaning in to sniff him.

Junmyeon sighed. "Must you be so openly horny ?"

"Have you seen my boyfriend ?" Answered Jongdae, proceeding to rub his face on Chanyeol's sweaty chest.

"Babe," said Chanyeol very softly, wrapping him in his arms and kissing the top of his head, "Outdoor manners."

Jongdae wrinkled his nose. "Fine, but you're not washing that tanktop before I'm done with it."

"Of course not, babe. I know your protocol."

"Aww," commented Baekhyun, then added, "and also, eww." After a pause he changed the subject. "Hey Chanyeol, Kyungsoo says you based your first DnD campaign on Warrior Cats ? That's really cool."

Chanyeol looked confused. "Um.. I didn't ?"

"Sure you did," answered Kyungsoo. "There were all these animals and stuff."

"That was based on Redwall. There aren't any ferret characters in Warrior Cats."

" _Redwall_ !" Exclaimed Junmyeon. "Oh my god, that takes me back. I used to love those books."

"They were awesome, right ?"

They lapsed into fond reminiscing about their favourite childhood books and Baekhyun turned to Kyungsoo with a smile.

"I take it you've never read Warrior Cats _or_ Redwall ?"

"No," he shrugged. "I was always more interested in dragons than woodland creatures. Imagine my disappointment when Chanyeol said, 'let's play Dungeons and Dragons !' and we ended up rescuing a forest from a wildcat," he rolled his eyes and Baekhyun laughed.

"Did you ever read Eragon ?"

"Man," Kyungsoo lit up, "Eragon was awesome ! I loved those books."

"Right ? I used to rout around the park for hours looking for dragon eggs, making piles of rocks and stuff."

Kyungsoo laughed at the image of tiny Baekhyun sorting oval rocks. "That must have been really cute."

"I was _adorable_ as a kid," Baekhyun grinned, "But my mom still yelled at me for getting dirty. Also she put my pants in the washing machine without checking the pockets -"

"Oof," winced Kyungsoo.

"Yeah, big mistake. I had all these smaller rocks in there. I thought maybe they were the eggs of tiny dragons." Baekhyun rolled onto his back and laughed again. "The machine got so wrecked. Even my dad yelled at me ! And he _never_ yells."

Kyungsoo leaned over to pet his hair like he knew Baekhyun liked it and smiled. "It figures that you were a troublemaker as a kid."

"I wasn't a trouble _maker_. Trouble just sort of happened around me. Still does, sometimes, so you better be careful, Do Kyungsoo." He scrunched his nose at his boyfriend, causing him to start laughing.

"I was always too quiet as a kid. A little trouble sounds like a nice change." He bent down to kiss Baekhyun. In a not unexpected, but rather hypocritical turn of events, Jongdae greeted this with a loud groan and a vocal "get a room", so Baekhyun retaliated by giving him a patented Kyungsoo-nuggie. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have called this fic "Of Pop Culture and Nuggies" because that is like 50% of what's happening here 
> 
> the other 50% being chaos and blowjobs
> 
> which is also a good name for a fic


	83. Chapter 83

"Where are you taking me, Junmyeon ?" Frowned Baekhyun as he let himself be pulled through a mysterious door right next to Kyungsoo and Junmyeon's apartment, and into a dark stairwell.

"It's secret, and hurry up," was the only answer, "I have a date soon."

"With Yixing ?"

"What ?" Junmyeon scaled the stairs two at a time. "No, not Yixing. I decided to give Yifan a chance. He's picking me up in five minutes."

"Well five minutes is definitely not enough to murder me, but I gotta say, I'm getting creeped out."

He examined at the bare cement and windowless walls while Junmyeon fiddled with another mysterious door. It was dark in the corridor at the top of the stairwell, and he could make out cobwebs lurking in the shadows. He shivered.

"Relax," replied Junmyeon with a smile, "You're going to love this."

He finally wrestled the door open and let Baekhyun out onto the building's roof, a flat wide expanse that was decorated with candles. The sound of a soft piano tune came to his ears and suddenly, Kyungsoo appeared in front of him.

"Hi," he smiled, and handed him a single purple primrose. "Welcome to our second date."

Baekhyun took the flower. "Oh my god, Kyungsoo," he whispered.

"You kids have fun," called Junmyeon, closing the door.

Kyungsoo stepped forward and took Baekhyun's hand with a slightly worried look. "Are you okay ? Is this.. too much ?"

"It's - perfect," Baekhyun smiled, winking back the tears that had risen up. "I just - I have a lot of feelings. Sorry," he laughed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

Kyungsoo leaned forward to give him a light kiss. "I wanted to surprise you and make up for the last date."

"You don't need to make up for anything," answered Baekhyun, allowing himself to be guided forward. Kyungsoo had set a blanket out in the middle of the roof, weighed it down with books so it wouldn't fly off and surrounded it with candles, which weren't quite necessary yet as it was still light out, but they did add a nice touch. He'd also prepared a bottle of wine for them.

The next song came on the tiny bluetooth speaker on one of the blanket's corners and Baekhyun smiled. "The path of the wind ! I love that song."

"I have a ghibli playlist all set up."

"You're amazing." He sat down on the blanket by Kyungsoo and watched him pour out the wine into two glasses. "And I love it all - but you know, I'm happy just to hang out as well. Not that I don't like dates like this !" He added quickly. "I love it. I just.. feel guilty that you're going to such lengths. This must have taken forever to get ready."

"Don't feel guilty, Baek," Kyungsoo gave him a wine glass and a serious look, "This is a lot of fun for me. I've never bothered to plan dates out like this, I guess I never really felt the motivation. But I _want_ to do it for you." He shimmied closer and pulled him into his arms. "I want to show you a good time," he said against the skin of neck, voice low and sultry. "I want to treat you how you deserve to be treated."

"Jesus," replied Baekhyun, letting himself go against his boyfriend's broad chest. "Are you planning on fucking me up here too ? Cause I'd be kind of disappointed if not."

"Oh yeah, don't worry," Kyungsoo kissed up to his earlobe and whispered, "I'm going to make you cum right as the sun sets."

He pulled back a little and grinned. "But first, wine ! I also got some snacks," he added, producing a bag of doritos.

Baekhyun, though extremely turned on, had to laugh at this. "Wine and doritos ? Seriously ?"

"They're nacho cheese flavoured. Wine and cheese is a fancy pairing, right ? So, wine and cheese flavoured doritos is fancy too."

"Hard to argue with that logic."

The pairing turned out to be fairly underwhelming, but the wine tasted nice and since they hadn't had dinner yet, it soon got them tipsy. And, as Baekhyun soon found out, a tipsy Kyungsoo was a horny Kyungsoo.

"I guess this explains why you kissed me that one time in the closet," he pondered, letting Kyungsoo wrestle his shirt open and get to work covering his bare chest with kisses.

"Huh ?"

"You were horny from losing at beer pong, right ?"

Kyungsoo sat up and considered this, absently playing with Baekhyun's nipples. "I mean, yeah, but also have you seen yourself ? You're fucking hot. I always kind of wanted to kiss you, the alcohol just gave me the nerves to do it."

"You always wanted to kiss me ?"

"Well.. yeah. I was also always vaguely annoyed at you, but I think that's cause I couldn't deal with my feelings."

"I thought you hated me for a while there," said Baekhyun very softly.

Kyungsoo smiled apologetically. "As a wise man once said, love and hate are two sides of the same coin."

"That... what ? Are _you_ supposed to be the coin ? How does that work ?" Baekhyun frowned, and Kyungsoo figured it was best to get back to business.

He took his time opening him up, so that Baekhyun was writhing with need as the sky above them became streaked with pink and orange clouds. His timing was a little off, and the sun was already halfway under the horizon when Kyungsoo drove into him, slowly and deliberately, Baekhyun moaning at him to go faster, harder.

So Kyungsoo rose onto his knees and pulled Baekhyun's hips up and fucked him like that into the twilight, deeper than ever before, and Baekhyun, for the first time, came untouched under the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok my dears  
> I'm going to have to change my posting schedule a little for thesis reasons 
> 
> my deadline to turn it in is June 25th and I have a lot to do so I can't keep uploading every day, I'm really sorry 
> 
> So next chapter will be coming day after tomorrow and I'll be posting every other day after that. 
> 
> I actually sat down the other day and planned every chapter out to the end of the story, I just don't have enough time to write to keep posting every day anymore. 
> 
> Hope you're all well, thank you for sticking with this story ! :D <3


	84. Chapter 84

"D'you think I could join the army ?" Asked Baekhyun one afternoon from the bed, where he was watching youtube videos on his phone.

Kyungsoo didn't look up from his notes. "Shouldn't you be working ?"

"Had to take a break. My brain is fried." He showed Kyungsoo his phone screen. "I'm watching this guy try out army rations."

With a painful stretch, Kyungsoo got up and joined Baekhyun on the bed, wrapping himself around him. The guy on screen had just closed a plastic bag that began to smoke.

"Woah," whispered Kyungsoo, immediately captivated, "How does that _work_?"

"It's some kind of chemical reaction, I think.. We can ask Jongdae tomorrow."

They watched in silence as the guy unwrapped packets of food, set them out onto a tray and dug in. He was halfway through the meal when Baekhyun spoke again.

"See, I could join the army for this. That curry looks amazing."

"Aren't you a pacifist ?"

"Well, yeah but -"

"You spent an hour last week ranting about how the military should be abolished."

"Yeah, and I stand by that but -"

Kyungsoo squeezed his thigh. "I'm pretty sure I've even heard you talk about abolishing all forms of law enforcement."

"Yes, but.. curry," Baekhyun pouted.

Kyungsoo laughed and kissed his neck. "I'll make you curry, Baek, you don't have to sacrifice your principles just for food."

Baekhyun turned around in his arms to face him and gave him a long, searching look.

"What ?" Asked Kyungsoo softly.

"I -" Baekhyun bit his lip then smiled. "This is real, right ? You really _do_ \- want to make me curry ? Just cause I'm horny for it ?"

"Okay first of all, yeah - if you want it, I want to make it for you. And second of all," Kyungsoo raised a reproachful finger, "We talked about this - you can't say you're horny for food. It's weird."

"Jongdae does it."

"My point exactly. Jongdae has a feeding kink."

"A - what ?"

"Gimme your phone," Kyungsoo took the device and after a quick search pushed it back at Baekhyun who took it, eyes widening.

"Oh my god," he whispered. "This explains so much. How long have you known ?"

"It's kind of obvious, he's always trying to shove food at Chanyeol."

Baekhyun scrolled further down on the phone. "This list of kinks is really detailed. _Oculophilia_? Yikes."

"What ? Is that - a fetish for eyes ?"

"Yeah, that's what it says."

"Jesus," Kyungsoo leaned over to see the screen. "Is it just like - enjoying beautiful irises ?"

Baekhyun gave him an unconvinced look. "I doubt it, but I also don't really want to make that google search. Touching eyes grosses me out."

"How d'you get your contacts on ?"

"It's a personal crisis every time," he grinned, and Kyungsoo laughed at him. Baekhyun scrolled down the phone a little more, before asking, "D'you have any kinks, Soo ?"

"I don't.. know ? I mean, yeah I probably do. I've also never really thought about it that hard."

"But do you have like - a fantasy ? Something you'd want to try out ?"

"Um -" He gulped. A picture had just flashed through his mind. A very sexy picture.

"Oh ho," said Baekhyun, wiggling his eyebrows, "you do, don't you. What is it ?"

"It's - nothing. You wouldn't like it."

"Tell me !"

Kyungsoo looked away before muttering, "Uniforms."

" _Uniforms_?"

"You'd be super hot. With your shoulders and everything ? I'd love to have you fuck me in a uniform." He shrugged and added, "But it's just a fantasy, and I know how you feel about people who wear uniforms so - nevermind. It's not a big deal."

"Dude," Baekhyun said seriously, "I may object to all forms of military, but you forget one thing - as an ex-theater kid I fucking _love_ to dress up. Give me three days." He leaned over to kiss Kyungsoo. "Besides, I want to - do stuff for you. I want to show you that it's - not just you. Who's.. into _this_."

He pulled back and sighed. "Please tell me you know what I mean, because I clearly suck at this."

Kyungsoo laughed. "Nope, no idea whatsoever."

When Baekhyun threw a pillow at him, he tackled him onto his back on the bed and kissed him until neither had any memory of what they'd been talking about. It was not a very efficient way to study for finals, but Kyungsoo couldn't bring himself to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being so sweet about the schedule change yall are excellent (｡♥‿♥｡)


	85. Chapter 85

"Hey Soo," Baekhyun called quietly, opening the door to his boyfriend's room. He paused for a second, letting himself savour the words "my boyfriend", and then Junmyeon's voice came from the kitchen.

"He had pretty bad insomnia last night, he's been napping since 4pm."

"Aw," answered Baekhyun, and he pulled the door shut. "I'll let him sleep some more then." He returned to the kitchen and set himself in a chair to watch Junmyeon cook. "Can I hang out a little ? In case he wakes up soon. I wanted to talk to him about something."

"Of course. D'you want some food ? I'm not as good a cook as Kyungsoo but ramen is my thang."

Baekhyun nodded at the offer and laughed at the expression. "Your _thang_? Seriously ?"

Junmyeon grinned. "Yifan listens to a lot of gangsta rap and stuff. I'm enjoying how it broadens my vocabulary."

"How are you guys doing, by the way ?"

"It's going really well," answered Junmyeon, giving the frying pan a shake, "We haven't quite recaptured the magic of our first relationship, but I think that's normal. We were basically kids."

"I think it's really cute that you're together again."

"Thanks. We're trying to take it slow, and see if we're still compatible, but it does feel _.. good._ I haven't told my mom yet - she'd be booking a hall for the wedding ceremony."

"That's so cool that your mom is supportive."

"Yeah, she's the best. I don't have a dad or siblings and we've always been really close. When I first got together with Yifan I thought it might be a problem because she can be a little possessive of me, but she loved him as soon as they met."

"That's adorable."

"Yeah, and she's this tiny woman - smaller than Kyungsoo !"

Baekhyun chortled, and a sleepy voice came from the door. "A lot of people are smaller than me. Including you."

"Hey Soo," Baekhyun opened his arms and Kyungsoo sleepily shambled forward to let himself be hugged. Then, as he moved about the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, Junmyeon prepared three plates of fried noodles and set them out. Baekhyun's stomach growled. It smelled delicious.

"Thanks Myeon," mumbled Kyungsoo, still half-asleep.

"Yeah, thanks !"

Junmyeon waved them away, looking pleased, and settled down to eat. "How about you, Baek ? Are you out to your family ?"

"Hum.. not really. But - actually that's why I came over. I saw my sister today."

"She wanted to talk about what song you'll be singing at her wedding, right ?" Said Kyungsoo, shovelling ramen into his mouth.

"Yeah. She picked Sugar, by Maroon 5."

Both Kyungsoo and Junmyeon nodded. "Fairly classic wedding song."

"Yeah," Baekhyun took a bite of noodles to gather himself. "Also, I - I told her."

Kyungsoo's fork stilled in midair. "You.. came out ? To your sister ?"

"Yeah."

"Oh Baek," he put the fork down and reached for his hand, "I'm so proud of you. How did it go ?"

A surge of emotion rose up in Baekhyun. "It went _really_ well. She thanked me for telling her, and she said she'd love and support me no matter what mom and day say, and - and," he felt his eyes getting a little wet, "she asked if that was why we stopped being friends when I was a teenager. I - I pushed her away because I was afraid she'd reject me - and all that time she just wondered why I was so distant ? I had no idea. I never even realized I was doing it. So we promised each other.. no more secrets."

"Oh my god Baek," Kyungsoo rose and leaned across the table to hug him. "That's amazing. I'm so happy for you !"

"That is really super cool," Junmyeon patted his back.

Baekhyun waited until Kyungsoo sat back down and grinned, eyes still a little wet. "So.. with that out of the way, I also had to ask her a favour."

"What favour ?"

"Well, when the invitations for her wedding went out, I didn't ask for a plus one cause there was no one I thought I'd be comfortable having there. But that's changed, and I - I'd like it if you wanted to be there too."

"At your sister's wedding ? As your plus one ?"

"As my boyfriend."

"But aren't your parents - ?"

"Yeah. I want them to meet you. I want them to meet my boyfriend. If you're up for it, that is -" He added, shifting in his seat.

"Baekhyun," Kyungsoo smiled, "I'd be honoured."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah that's right
> 
> there's gonna be a wedding chapter - or several -
> 
> and there's a gazebo involved and it is going to be fucking adorable, probably 
> 
> (tbh I just want an excuse to use the word gazebo more because I'm not fancy enough to have gazebos be a part of my daily life)


	86. Chapter 86

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : mention of homophobia

"Dude, just put the book down," said Chanyeol one day as they ate lunch.

Kyungsoo absently dabbed at the spilled mustard on his sweater, his eyes still on the book. "I'm just finishing this paragraph."

"You said that five minutes ago."

".. It's a complicated paragraph."

Jongdae shook his head. "Have you seriously been reading the same paragraph for the past five minutes ?"

"It's _important_."

"You gotta know when to quit," said Chanyeol, reaching for the book. Kyungsoo jerked it out of his grasp, but his friend's noodle arms were unfairly long.

"He does not have _noodle_ arms," Jongdae crossed his arms as Chanyeol put the book safely in his own bag. Kyungsoo glared at both of them. "Babe, take your shirt off and show him."

Chanyeol blushed. "I'm not going to take my shirt off in the cafeteria."

"Thank you," said Jongin, sitting down at the table.

Jongdae turned to him. "That's rich coming from someone who's wearing a crop top."

Jongin shrugged, apparently unbothered but Kyungsoo knew him well enough to see that he wasn't entirely confident he could pull it off. "Taemin said I looked good."

"You look - _amazing._ "

"Yeah," Chanyeol nodded enthusiastically. "Very expensive and high-class."

Jongin smiled gratefully at them. "Thanks guys. Taemin's been.. encouraging me to explore a little, I guess ?"

"In what sense ?" Asked Kyungsoo, taking a bite of his burger.

"Well, to sort of.. ignore gender norms when it comes to clothing and appearance ?"

"That's really cool," said Jongdae. "Good for him."

Chanyeol leaned onto his boyfriend's shoulder pensively. He had to bend in half to do this, but somehow it was still very cute. "I wonder if I could pull it off - a crop top, I mean."

"I'd pull it off for you," answered Jongdae, and Chanyeol kissed him to make him shut up.

Jongin smiled at Kyungsoo. "You ready for finals week ?"

"Can one ever be ready for finals week ?"

"I'm pretty much done with my revision schedule," he shrugged.

"Yeah, but you're a freak of nature when it comes to studying."

Jongin grinned at him and changed the subject. "Have you been sleeping okay ?"

"Um, not really. It's weird."

"What's weird ?" Asked Chanyeol, surfacing from kissing Jongdae. There was a faint blush on his cheeks and his hair had somehow gotten extremely ruffled. Kyungsoo snorted.

"You look like you got mauled."

"Shut up. So what's weird ?"

"Well I had one bout of insomnia last week but since then I've been able to fall asleep pretty easily.. Like, every night at 11pm I just conk out."

"Oh that sounds heavenly," Jongin sighed. "It takes me _ages_ to fall asleep, even without insomnia."

"Same," said Jongdae. "I have to like, turn clockwise 56 times and sacrifice a goat to Satan before I can even start to drift off."

"It's usually like that for me as well," Kyungsoo shrugged. "So it's nice to fall asleep quickly as a change, but then I kind of spend the whole night on edge ? Like, when you know you have to wake up soon so you don't _really_ sleep ?"

Jongin winced. "Oof, yeah. That happened to me last year, the week before classes started."

"Can we do anything to help ?" Asked Jongdae seriously. "Like, I know you won't smoke weed but maybe we could _distill_ it. I could sneak us into one of the labs and try it out."

"No, that's okay. I think I just need finals to be over."

"GUYS ! GUYS !!" Baekhyun slid to a stop in front of the table. "There's some bigot outside ranting about filthy homos !"

They looked at him.

"Well come on ! Do you wanna go make out in front of him and drive him off the campus, or what ?"

There was another split second of silence then they all rose at once.

"I'm calling Taemin," said Jongin.

"I'll get my boombox, we'll blast some Queen songs at him !"

"Imma inspect those tonsils in front of the homophobe first," said Jongdae, tugging at his boyfriend's arm.

Kyungsoo gestured at Baekhyun to lead the way, and he complied with a flourish and a triumphant shout of : "Avengers ! ASSEMBLE !"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drown out homophobia with the sweet sound of Freddie Mercury's beautiful voice 
> 
> and happy pride month yall ! 
> 
> also I suddenly remembered that I used to put warnings at the beginning of chapters with vaguely uncomfortable stuff or just sex and then I totally forgot about that so.... sorry u.u


	87. Chapter 87

"Kyungsoo.. Kyungsoo, wake up."

There was a soft hand on his shoulder shaking him awake. He grunted and rolled over.

"Dude, you have to get up."

"Ugh.." He groaned, curling up around his corgi plushie.

"Oh my god, this is just too cute -" There was a shuffling sound and the mattress dipped a little, then a wonderful warmth envelopped Kyungsoo as Baekhyun cuddled up against his back. He smiled, hugged his corgi closer and drifted back off to sleep.

"Don't you dare go back to sleep," said Baekhyun against his back. "You have to get up. You have finals today."

"Uuuuuuugh," he answered.

Baekhyun pushed himself up and poked at his nose. "You're such a baby."

"Go 'way. I'm sleep deprived."

"Do you want me to get you pills ? I gotta go get my prescription anyway, later."

"No." He tried to pull the blanket over his head so Baekhyun would go away, but Baekhyun grabbed it in time and pulled it off.

"If you don't get up now I'm going to suck your dick."

Kyungsoo's eyes flew open. "Is that supposed to make me _want_ to get up ?"

"Ah-ha ! Your eyes are open !"

"And ?"

"That means you've lost and you have to get up."

"I find that logic inconclusive."

"Fine," said Baekhyun, and he settled himself between Kyungsoo's legs. "You leave me no choice."

"Oh noo," answered Kyungsoo mockingly, "Please don't suck my dick that would be so awful -"

Baekhyun, who'd been pulling Kyungsoo's pyjama pants down, paused. "Your tone is ironic but I gotta check. You're okay with this, right ?"

"Of course I'm okay with you blowing me."

"Good. Gotta make sure." And then he began to mouth along the side of Kyungsoo's dick, up and down, occasionally stopping to give the head a full lick, making him hard in less time than it took to say "fuck, I'm late for finals."

When he was fully erect, Baekhyun took him into his mouth and began to bob his head up and down. To his surprise, though, Kyungsoo's boner began to abate. He pulled off and gave him a confused look.

"I'm.. I'm sorry, I don't know what's happening," Kyungsoo looked, if it was possible, even more upset than Baekhyun felt.

"Do you not.. want.. me ?"

"Of course I want you !" Kyungsoo sat up. "How can you even say that ?"

"Then.. am I not doing it right ?"

"You're doing it fine, I just - I think I might not be in the mood right now."

Baekhyun nodded and said nothing, trying very hard to ignore the ice spreading through his stomach.

Kyungsoo shuffled to the side of the bed and rose, pulling his pyjama pants back up. "I'm sorry, Baek.. I swear it has nothing to do with you."

He bent to retrieve a pair of pants from the floor then leaned in to give him a kiss. Baekhyun turned his head away and after a second's hesitation, Kyungsoo kissed his cheek instead.

"Please don't be mad. I have to get ready, I have an exam soon. But I promise we'll talk more about this later, okay ?"

Baekhyun nodded, his stare fixed on the wall. When Kyungsoo got out the shower he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... as an apology for the angst have this BaekSoo centric playboy fancam 
> 
> [u r welcom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CRPHYPqDZM)


	88. Chapter 88

"Baekkie, are you okay ?" Jongdae turned to him as they ate lunch.

"What ?" He looked up from his uneaten sandwich to find Minseok, Luhan, Yixing and Jongdae staring at him with varying degrees of worry written on their faces.

"Did you bomb your exam ?" Asked Minseok.

"No -"

"Are you thinking about trees ?" Yixing gave him a sympathetic nod. "That always gets me pensive."

"No, I'm not thinking about _trees_ -" A tiny voice instead his brain wanted for him to yell out, _but I am thinking about wood !_ but he pushed it away because it really wasn't the time to be making dumb jokes like that, jesus fuck.

"Did something happen with Kyungsoo ?" Said Luhan very softly.

Baekhyun sighed. "Yeah.. sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of ?" Minseok frowned and Jongdae cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"It's what didn't happen that's bumming me out, I guess."

"Did he forget your confession anniversary ?"

" _What_?" He turned back in disbelief to Jongdae, who shrugged. "First of all I don't even know when that is."

"Then what ?"

"He -" For once, oversharing details of his sex life felt a little weird, so he took a deep breath before continuing, "He couldn't keep it up this morning when I was - blowing him."

There was a silence, then Minseok frowned. "That's all ?"

Luhan punched his arm very lightly. "Don't be dismissive, babe. It's obvious Baekhyun's upset."

"But it's dumb -"

"My feelings are not _dumb_."

"It's literally finals week, Baekhyun," Minseok waved at the very studious cafeteria. "No one's in the mood for sex right now."

"Well I don't know who died and left _you_ the boss of everyone's libido -"

Minseok rolled his eyes. "You're being childish."

"And you're being really fucking insensitive," Baekhyun glared at him and poked vengefully at his uneaten sandwich.

"I think Minseok is being short cause he's stressed out," Jongdae patted his arm. "But it is a little rude to talk to Baekkie like that," he added, turning to Minseok who opened his mouth to retort, then stopped himself.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Baek."

Baekhyun felt a slight pang upon hearing the nickname Kyungsoo usually used, but he nodded at his friend. "It's okay. I think.. you may be right. I'm not being entirely reasonable. But it _hurts._ "

Yixing leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "What hurts, Baekkie ?" 

"I don't even _know_. It feels like he doesn't want me anymore. And it makes me wonder - he's said all this stuff, right ? About how he wants to take care of me, and treat me how I deserve to be treated ? What if he was lying ? What if he just wanted my body and now he's gotten what he wanted ?"

"I don't think he can lie," answered Jongdae matter-of-factly. "He just doesn't seem like the kind of guy who can even handle a harmless fib."

Yixing nodded. "Besides if he just wanted your body he wouldn't have had to go to such lengths, right ? No offence whatsoever cause I would too, but you'd put out for a pretty smile, dude."

"Then.. what if he's just.. tired.. of me ?" He bit his lip, willing himself not to cry.

"I doubt that, Baekhyun," said Luhan seriously. "He's obviously crazy about you."

"But if he couldn't stay hard, that means he - doesn't find me desirable, right ?"

"Dude," Minseok cut in, "No. Just - no. Sex is not that simple."

"It is, to me."

"You're only you. You're not _him_."

Baekhyun sniffed. "I guess that's true. But still -"

Luhan's soft voice cut through his protests. "Why is this one instance of sexual rejection invalidating weeks and weeks of him proving that he loves you ?"

"I don't think he _loves_ me."

Jongdae scoffed. "Didn't he cover a rooftop in candles just for a date with you ? That's a major fire hazard, you know. And everyone knows arson is the ultimate proof of love."

"I'm giving Chanyeol a fire extinguisher for his birthday," muttered Yixing, shaking his head. "And Baekkie, you should talk to Kyungsoo."

"And tell him that I'm an insecure - dumbass - _slut_ ?"

Minseok glared at him. "Don't make me swat you with a newspaper. We've talked about this - no more self-hating words."

Laying his head on the table, Baekhyun groaned. "But it's true."

"No it's not," said Jongdae, petting his head. "You've just been defining your self-worth by the amount of people you sleep with for too long."

"Jesus christ," whispered Baekhyun. "What the fuck ?"

"You know I'm right."

"That's what's freaking me out."

Jongdae crossed his arms. "So you don't think I can be subtle and insightful ?"

"Um - _No_ ?"

"Well, congratulations. You played yourself."

There was a short silence then Baekhyun rose with a sigh. "You guys are right, I gotta talk to Kyungsoo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you found the hozier reference in this chapter your day will be blessed with cookies 
> 
> or something
> 
> maybe
> 
> And if you happen to have any self-hating words or thoughts today, I invite you to imagine Minseok chasing you around with a rolled up newspaper to swat you. None of that, okay ? Be kind to yourself, it's a rough time.


	89. Chapter 89

Baekhyun made his way quickly to the classroom he remembered seeing on Kyungsoo's exam schedule the day before, hoping he wasn't too late. Maybe Kyungsoo had decided to go somewhere else for lunch with Chanyeol, or maybe he'd just gone home to nap. He looked quickly at his phone to check the time. There was half an hour left on Kyungsoo's exam, and Baekhyun realized suddenly that he wasn't exactly sure what his boyfriend's style was when it came to finals. Was he the type to finish an hour before everyone else, or the dude that had to be dragged out of the room by an irate and hungry professor ?

Probably the latter, he thought with a tiny smile, picturing Kyungsoo furiously scribbling away.

He reached room A32 and sat himself on the floor right across from the door, prepared to wait. Almost immediately the door opened and a girl wearing pyjama bottoms came out. She gave Baekhyun a nod and trudged off down the corridor, humming something that sounded suspiciously like the Imperial theme from Star Wars.

He pulled out his phone and opened instagram, but the door opened again and someone greeted him by name.

"Oh hey Baekhyun," said Chanyeol.

"Hey man, how'd it go ?"

"It was rough," he groaned. "Like, at first it was okay and then there was a series of questions on Doge Granedigo's leadership, and like.. we _mentioned_ it in class but never actually went in depth ?"

"Oh, that sucks. Hey listen, is Kyungsoo still in there ?"

Chanyeol frowned. "No, he finished a while ago. I thought he'd be with you."

"We uh -" Baekhyun hesitated, "We sort of had a fight this morning ?"

"Yeah, he mentioned. Still, you guys are so good at talking your shit out, I figured you'd be.. well, talking."

Baekhyun shifted, uncertain what to think of that. "Do you have any idea where he might be ?"

"Um, well - let's see, there's a stairwell that gets very little traffic in this building. He's definitely gone there to sulk a couple times." He pointed to the end of the corridor, "Up that way and turn left, it's those weird stairs between the fifth and sixth floor."

"Gotcha, thanks man !" Baekhyun called, jogging down the hall. There was no one behind the door so he jogged up a level and found, huddled in a corner with his head buried in his arms, Kyungsoo.

"Kyungsoo ?"

The dark head flew up and revealed a face streaked with tears. "Baek ?"

Baekhyun knelt before him, his heart breaking into a million pieces at the sight of Kyungsoo's eyes. "Fuck, are you crying because of me ? I'm so, so sorry, please don't be sad like this -" He pulled him into his arms, hugging him fiercely tight. "I'm sorry I'm a jackass and a dumbass and an idiot, and I know I'm fucked up and I don't deserve you -"

"Jesus," said Kyungsoo, muffled in Baekhyun's jacket. "That's not why I'm upset."

Baekhyun pulled back, a little crestfallen. "What ?"

"I mean -" Kyungsoo pawed at his face with his sleeve, "I _am_ upset about this morning, but it's not why I lost it."

"Oh." He sat back. "Then why ?"

"I just... I think I failed the exam." Kyungsoo bit his lip. "I couldn't focus and I forgot.. basically everything I'd read about. I remember vividly going over my Venice notes last week but - no idea what they contained."

"Hang on," Baekhyun frowned. "I helped you study those, didn't I ? You knew them by heart. Didn't you write _anything_?"

He shrugged dejectedly. "I scribbled a few sentences for each question but there's no way any of what I wrote is good. I'm gonna tank my GPA."

Baekhyun took Kyungsoo's face in both his hands. "Hey, you don't know that. Maybe you wrote exactly what your professor wants to see."

Kyungsoo stared into his eyes for a few moments then, very low, asked, "Why'd you leave this morning ?"

"I -" He sat back again. "I'm sorry. I got in my own head. I kept thinking that maybe you.. don't.. Maybe you aren't really into this." Kyungsoo frowned and he hastily added, "I know that's dumb ! I'm really sorry, Kyungsoo. It's the self-sabotaging thing again."

"So you thought.. that because I couldn't stay hard, that means I don't actually like you ?" Kyungsoo said slowly.

".. Yeah, more or less." He sighed. "I sort of.. equate feelings and sex. I'm a slut."

Kyungsoo gave him a very serious look. "Is that something Haneul told you ?"

"... FUCK." Baekhyun let himself fall onto his back. "Yeah, that's definitely something he said."

"Baek.. how much of who you are is the result of what he did to you ?"

"Too much."

There was silence in the stairwell then Kyungsoo spoke again, very quietly. "It's weird how the people who hurt us are those we change for the most."

Baekhyun nodded, eyes still fixed on the ceiling. "It sucks. And believe me, I wish I weren't such a mess. I wish I were even a fraction closer to deserving you."

"Fuck off with that noise," Kyungsoo nudged him with his toe. "What kind of dumb shit is that ?"

"You ought to be with someone who doesn't freak out over a failed blowjob."

"Dude, I'm just as messed up as you are."

"What ? You've never freaked out about our relationship." He froze as he said the word relationship, eyes widening, then he realized what had happened and sighed. "I can't even fucking say relationship without panicking a little."

"There's more than one way to be fucked up."

Baekhyun pushed himself up to look at Kyungsoo, who was staring off at the wall. "Are you a psychopath or something ?"

Kyungsoo smiled. "Would you stop dating me if I were ?"

He pondered this for a second then shook his head. "Probably not. I'd be like.. your getaway driver or something."

"Jesus," laughed Kyungsoo. "I'll keep that in mind if I ever need to commit a crime."

Baekhyun grinned at him, his heart filling at the sight of Kyungsoo's adorable scrunched up laughing face, then he leaned forward and laid his head on top of Kyungsoo's knees. "Are we good ?"

"Yeah," Kyungsoo's eyes were tender. "Of course we're good. Although we might have to cool it with the fucking for this week. Finals stress me out too much to be an efficient lover."

"No worries. The words 'efficient lover' have turned me off at least until Friday anyway."

"Fuck off," Kyungsoo poked his ribs as he let himself be pulled up. "Have you had lunch ?"

"Nope. Burgers ?"

"Oooh, _burgers._ "

"Loser treats the winner !" Called Baekhyun, barrelling down the stairs.

"HEY WAIT -"

But he had already disappeared through the door with a cackle. Kyungsoo shouldered his backpack and pressed the elevator button.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all safe and happy, thank you for reading as always <3 
> 
> I'll do my best to upload monday but just in case, that will be deadline - 3 so I might not make it u.u


	90. Chapter 90

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : rimming

"Can I borrow a piece of paper ?" Baekhyun asked suddenly, pushing himself off Kyungsoo's bed. The chapter he was reading needed a schematic to make sense. Wittgenstein was just too obtuse to understand without doodling.

"Yeah, help yourself," Kyungsoo waved him to a shelf full of scraps of paper and notebooks, not bothering to look up.

Baekhyun pulled out a sign-up sheet for a medieval re-enactment society dated two years ago and snorted.

"Medieval re-enactment ?"

"Chanyeol thought it would be cool to bash each other with big old swords," replied Kyungsoo, scribbling a note.

"Was it ?"

"Don't know. Never ended up going."

Baekhyun turned back to the shelf. One of the notebooks was sticking out a weird angle, so he pulled it out. "What's this ?"

"Huh ? Oh. Just an old sketchbook."

"Can I - ?"

"Yeah, but don't judge okay ? I took out a lot of my pre-coming-out feelings by drawing naked dudes."

"I love naked dudes."

Kyungsoo's eyes finally left his notes and he gave Baekhyun a look over his glasses before answering simply, "Who doesn't, though."

Baekhyun returned to the bed with the sketchbook, all thoughts of Wittgenstein forgotten, and began to flip through. There were, indeed, many hot guys stretched out, impossible numbers of abs rippling through their toned bodies.

"That is _not_ how a dick should look."

"Hey, drawing a realistic dick is harder than you'd think."

" _Your_ dick is harder than you'd think," muttered Baekhyun, turning the page.

"What ?"

"What ?" He froze, and Kyungsoo frowned at him.

"Did you say that my dick is harder than I think it is ?"

"No. Is this a pirate ?" He held the sketchbook to show him a drawing that took up both pages, depicting a man in piratey looking clothes with a tricorn hat and his chest on full display.

"Yeah, I was writing a story with pirates."

Baekhyun flipped another page and his eyes widened. "Gay pirates ?" He held the sketchbook up again, revealing a drawing of another hot guy giving the one in the tricorn a blowjob. It was very explicit except for the fact that Kyungsoo had apparently failed at drawing a satisfying dick once more, and that part was half erased.

"Of course. Pirates are inherently gay. Like vampires."

"Vampires are gay ?"

"Um, _yeah_? Have you ever read _Interview With The Vampire_ ?"

"No," Baekhyun shrugged. "I was never really into the whole vampire thing."

Kyungsoo swivelled his chair to stare at him. " _But they're so cool ??_ "

"Why though ?"

"They're so suave and fancy ?" Kyungsoo sat back in and pondered. "I guess you are technically more of a werewolf hoe."

Baekhyun laughed. "Definitely."

"Well, have you seen Underworld ? Cause it has both, and both are hot. It's a very horny movie overall."

"I'm sold," Baekhyun grinned at him. "But also, I want to know more about your gay pirates story."

Kyungsoo rose, stretched and joined him on the bed. "It wasn't really a story. They just fucked a lot." He put his arms around Baekhyun's waist. "You smell good," he added, burying his nose in his boyfriend's neck.

"Are you trying to seduce me ?"

"No ?" He mumbled, very delicately kissing down Baekhyun's neck and over his shoulder.

"This feels like I'm being seduced."

"Get your mind out of the gutter," replied Kyungsoo, slipping a hand under Baekhyun's t-shirt and up his ribs to his nipple, which he began to tease very lightly. Baekhyun bit back a moan.

"I thought boning was off limits until the end of finals week," he smiled, shifting a little in order to feel Kyungsoo's hardening dick against his ass.

"Yeah, but you're irresistible," Kyungsoo kissed back up his neck and slipped his free hand into Baekhyun's pants, effectively trapping him. He didn't seem to mind much though, as he leaned back against Kyungsoo's chest.

"Are you sure about this ?" He asked a little uncertainly, twisting to look into his boyfriend's eyes. In response, Kyungsoo rolled his hips up. He was fully hard now, and his erection dug into Baekhyun's ass. "Mh - okay, message received, we are good to go-oh -"

Kyungsoo had seized his cock and pinched his nipple at the same time, which was just about the most intoxicating sensation ever. It got better, somehow, when Kyungsoo leaned in close to his ear and began talking.

"You're so fucking sexy, I want to bury my face in your ass and eat you out until you come just from my tongue."

"Jesus _christ_ Soo - wait, really ?" He yelped as Kyungsoo flipped him onto his stomach and pulled his pants and boxers down, then began to kiss up the length of his thighs. "Fucking _finally_ ," groaned Baekhyun. "I thought you didn't like doing this."

"It's weird when you do it to me," replied Kyungsoo, biting the delicate skin right at the top of his leg. "But I love your thighs, and I _love_ your ass," he added, pulling the other's ass cheeks apart and diving in.

"Oh fuck -" Baekhyun moaned louder, overwhelmed with the sensation. "Oh god, oh my _god -_ " he gasped when Kyungsoo pulled back just long enough to heave him up onto his knees, gaining better access to get back to work. He also reached around to idly play with Baekhyun's rock hard dick as kept licking his asshole, and the combined sensation made him want to cry and cum and shout all at once.  
Then a finger joined the tongue in his ass and everything stopped making sense. He let himself be reduced to a writhing mess that existed entirely for Kyungsoo to play with, and as he released an incoherent string of curse words, he had the vague thought that maybe somehow this was what Wittgenstein had been talking about the whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot about the existence of sunday.
> 
> Also, a disclaimer : I've read Wittgenstein and I've read articles about Wittgenstein and I still only have a very vague idea of what he was on about so, far all I know, it might as well be anilingi.


	91. Chapter 91

"Kylo Ren ? Seriously ?" Asked Kyungsoo while he kneaded the pizza dough.

Junmyeon, busy chopping mushrooms, shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. Grumpy men dressed in black are my kryptonite."

"He just looks so... distinctive."

"That's kind of the appeal. People who are too conventionally attractive freak me out a little. Do you need anything else chopped ?"

"Um - no," Kyungsoo looked over the bowls of toppings that had been prepared already. "I feel like we're missing something but it's not coming to me right now."

"Is Baekhyun coming ?" Asked Junmyeon, leaning back to stretch.

"No, he's seeing his parents tonight. He decided it'd be best to come out before we show up at the wedding together, so we don't steal his sister's thunder."

"Oh wow ! That's huge. And he's doing it alone ?"

"No," replied Kyungsoo, putting the ball of dough back in the bowl and covering it. "I'd have insisted on being there if that were case. But Yuna's with him and he said he thinks it might be easier for them to process if I'm not there."

"Well, I guess everyone's coming out is different." Junmyeon patted Kyungsoo's arm. "Don't look so worried, Soo. I'm sure it'll be okay."

"I know what we forgot ! Can you grate some cheese ?"

"Oh yeah, good call."

Junmyeon was in the middle of grating a gigantic block of cheddar when the intercom rang, so Kyungsoo went to buzz Chanyeol up. To his surprise, though, when he opened the door he found not one but two gigantic goofy-looking men. Chanyeol grinned at Kyungsoo and entered, but Yifan stayed at the door.

"Hi," he said hesitantly.

"Hi," replied Kyungsoo, eyes narrowed.

"Um - so. I brought beer ?" He held up an 18-pack of fancy beer from a local brewery with a hopeful grin.

Kyungsoo stood aside and let him in without a word.

"Nice.. nice place you have here," said Yifan, looking around at the various knick-knacks Junmyeon had set out in an attempt to make the apartment homier. Kyungsoo nodded and went to the kitchen. Yifan followed to kiss Junmyeon hello, and to Kyungsoo's intense satisfaction, he heard a faint whisper of :

"Your roommate scares me," to which Junmyeon whispered back something intelligible. Yifan nodded and headed over to the fridge to put the beers in.

Chanyeol was already seated at the table, eyeing the bell peppers greedily. Junmyeon, being used to his usual shenanigans, swatted at him.

"None of that !"

"I'm not doing anything !"

"You're a thief and a scoundrel," Junmyeon glared at him, causing Yifan to laugh out loud.

"Why'd you guys have _pineapple_?" Chanyeol wrinkled his nose, pointing at a bowl that was half hidden by a napkin.

Junmyeon rolled his eyes. "Kyungsoo insisted."

"Pineapple on pizza is fucking delicious," said Kyungsoo, poking the dough. He judged it risen enough and lifted it out of the bowl to cut off a first section, which he began to roll out into a vaguely round shape.

"Pineapple on pizza is a crime against pizza," replied Chanyeol, narrowly avoiding Junmyeon's swatting as he stole an olive.

"Agreed, and stop that !"

"You heathens," mumbled Kyungsoo, giving Junmyeon a first circle of dough that he'd ladled sauce over. "Besides, you put anchovies on your pizza. You have no right to judge me."

"What team are you on, Yifan ?" Asked Chanyeol as he stole a piece of bell pepper. Junmyeon sighed and threw his swatting towel down.

"I love pineapple," answered the other immediately. "And I always find it weird how much people who don't like it _hate_ having it on pizza. It's like the easiest thing to pick off."

Kyungsoo gave him an approving look. "Right ? Besides we're each getting a pizza so we can put whatever the fuck we want on them. You can put skittles on _your_ pizza for all I care, Chanyeol."

There was a chorus of "ew" and then the conversation flowed on to weird types of food while they prepared each pizza one by one and popped them in the oven.

"D'you have a timer on ?" Asked Yifan when the last one was in.

"No, we broke the timer last time Jongdae and Chanyeol were over," Kyungsoo shrugged nonchalantly, "I usually go by sight anyway."

"You _broke_ the timer ?"

"Jongdae's a really sore loser. By the way, isn't he coming tonight ?"

"No, he had a thing with some of his biology friends." Chanyeol shifted in his seat and looked away.

"Everything okay with you guys ?"

"Um, yeah. It's just - well. I don't know - this is kind of weird." He gave Yifan a quick look to gauge his level of openness and, when Yifan gave him a encouraging nod, quickly added, "He.. wants me to choke him."

"Ah," said Kyungsoo.

"Oh," said Junmyeon.

"I take it he's a little kinky," nodded Yifan. "And you've never choked anyone ?"

Chanyeol blushed. "No.. and I love trying things out with him but.. this feels a little too far."

"Have you told him that ?" Asked Kyungsoo quietly.

"Yeah and he's really respectful but.. I can also tell he's a little disappointed."

Junmyeon frowned. "Is he making you feel guilty about it ?"

"No ! Not at all. I know you guys think he's a weirdo but he's actually really sweet and considerate. That makes it almost worst in a way, cause I want him to.. have the best time."

"And you guys have done other kinky stuff ?" Asked Yifan after a short silence.

"Oh yeah, we've.. well." Chanyeol stopped himself then, blushing up to his ears, mumbled, ".. whips... and he likes to.. put my dick in a cock-cage every now and then."

"Well that's an image," said Kyungsoo, checking on the pizzas.

Yifan nodded again. "So he's usually the dom ?"

"We switch, sometimes he likes to be the sub."

"And you're fine with that ?"

"Yeah, I mean I've never had a relationship like this but I'm really enjoying everything we do."

"Even the whipping ?"

".. Yes," mumbled Chanyeol. Yifan's calm voice and demeanour seemed to have put him a little more at ease.

"So what's different about the choking ?"

"I'm not sure.."

Junmyeon, who'd been washing dishes, dried his hands and joined the table, seating himself on Yifan's lap. "Are you worried about hurting him ?" He asked quietly.

"... Yeah, a little. I have.. big hands," replied Chanyeol, holding them up. "What if something goes wrong ?"

Yifan put his arms around Junmyeon and hugged him closer. "All BDSM play has the potential to go wrong. That's why safewords and research are so important. Maybe you and Jongdae can look up some references on how to do this safely ?"

"That.. makes sense," said Chanyeol slowly.

Junmyeon turned to look at Yifan. "Since when do you know so much about BDSM ?"

"I've.. dabbled," he grinned. "Why, are you interested ?"

"Maybe," replied Junmyeon with heavy eyes, leaning down to kiss him.

"Pizza's ready," announced Kyungsoo, and then they all repaired to the living room to watch Star Wars, eat pizza, and as far as he was concerned, try to forget all about Chanyeol's cock-cage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK
> 
> turned in my thesis on Thursday 
> 
> it is done, I'm free
> 
> and sorry about disappearing the last few days before turning it in were so hectic, I did literally nothing but frantic frantic last minute rereading and rewriting and the occasional break down lmao 
> 
> I'll be going back to updating every other day from now on :D 
> 
> hope you're all well and safe <3


	92. Chapter 92

"A hot-blooded young man in my kitchen making _pancakes_ ?" Said Hyo-Sonn lightly, stopping for a moment in the doorway, and apparently wearing nothing more than a blood-red silk kimono. "Is this Sodom and Gomorrah ?"

Kyungsoo froze, wondering if he needed to apologize. "Uh -"

"Don't worry, I can handle Sodom and Gomorrah. At least pancakes don't involve a pile of naked girls begging for my attention. I just haven't the energy for _that_ today."

"I.. what ?"

"Never mind, darling." She patted him on the back on her way to the coffee maker and added, "That smells _divine._ "

"I'm making three servings," said Kyungsoo, giving the pan a shake.

"You're an angel. By the way, darling, has Baekhyun told you what the rules are in this house ?"

"Um -" Kyungsoo poured a ladle of batter into the pan, racking his brain to figure out which rule he was currently breaking. "No ?"

"I'll send you the pdf," said Hyo-Sonn, then she laughed at his expression. "I'm kidding. The only rule is pants on at all times in common areas."

Kyungsoo looked down at his legs, which were technically bare as he wearing just his boxers and a comfy t-shirt that belonged to Baekhyun. ".. Sorry. I just brought jeans and it was too hot for them when I got up."

"You get a pass, just this once," she said, giving him a twinkling look over the rim of her coffee cup.

"It does seem like an oddly specific rule, especially considering -" apparently routine Friday morning lesbian orgies, he added mentally.

"I assume you're now used to how little my grandson cares about modesty."

Kyungsoo nodded and flipped two pancakes onto a plate, which he promptly covered.

"Well, my dear, I haven't seen a penis since Baekhyun's grandfather passed away and I'd quite like to keep it that way. We agreed on the pants rule shortly after he moved here due to a few... close calls."

"How do kimonos factor into that ?"

She raised an amused eyebrow at him. "Kimonos are fair game for anyone who wants to wear them, darling. Sadly for me, my grandson doesn't seem to be interested in the drag queen lifestyle - but if _you_ are, I have a collection of evening gowns you'd look gorgeous in."

Kyungsoo had a sudden vision of himself in a cocktail dress and sky-high heels. He wasn't sure if it was such a good idea, although the perspective of being as tall as Chanyeol for a little bit certainly was appealing. "I'll keep that in mind.. and I'll ask Baek for a pair of pants in the meantime."

"Or just bring one of your own and leave it here. You have a toothbrush here, don't you ?"

"He gave me one of your spares. You have quite the collection of those too, by the way."

She nodded in satisfaction then swept over to the kitchen table and sat down with her coffee cup. "So, what are your plans for Baekhyun's birthday, apart from the party ?"

The first plan was to let Baekhyun fuck him silly, but that didn't make for very good morning conversation with his grandmother, so Kyungsoo tried to think of something more appropriate but, before he could collect his thoughts, Hyo-Sonn spoke again.

"And apart from the birthday sex, of course."

Kyungsoo felt his eyebrows rise before he could stop himself. "It's obvious where Baekhyun gets his lack of modesty from," he muttered.

She threw her head back and laughed, looking exactly as much of a movie star as Kyungsoo had thought she would upon their first meeting. "That's true. His parents are such prudes you'd never guess we're related. Have you met them, darling ?"

Adding another pancake to the plate, Kyungsoo shook his head. "Not yet, but we're actually having lunch with them today. Baek came out a few days ago, but he wants us to meet before the wedding."

"Oh, you'll be at the wedding ? That's lovely. I'm glad."

"Thanks," he smiled at her. "I'm excited. It sounds like it's going to be beautiful."

"Yuna has always had elegant taste," nodded Hyo-Sonn.

"Sounds like both your grandchildren take after you."

"Thank you, darling," she bestowed a pleased smile upon him and added, sipping her coffee nonchalantly, "I hope you realize how huge this is. None of us have ever met any of his partners."

"If I'm honest, it's an honour - to be, like.. the first relationship that he feels good enough about to tell his family." He paused and frowned. "Although I also wish he could have had better partners before me. I don't know - it's complicated."

"My dear," said Hyo-Sonn, rising from her chair and making for the door. "It's only complicated if you let it be complicated. I'll take my pancakes in the sunroom," she called as she exited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and tbh now I kind of want to write a spin-off where Hyo-Sonn alternates between solving crimes and attending lesbian orgies, 
> 
> all while remaining absolutely flawless and sarcastic


	93. Chapter 93

"We didn't think this through," groaned Kyungsoo from the bed, where he was still laying spread out on his back while Baekhyun rummaged around the room, collecting clothes. He stopped at Kyungsoo's words and straightened to give him a worried look.

"You ok ?"

"Dude, you literally bent me in half and pounded my ass into oblivion."

Baekhyun joined him on the bed with a guilty expression. "Sorry... I thought you were having fun."

"Hey, no -" Kyungsoo put his arms around him and pulled him close, "I love it when you wreck me like that. It just occurred to me that we're meeting your parents in an hour and I'm definitely going to be limping a little."

Baekhyun winced. "Oof. Hadn't thought about that either."

They stayed silent some moments longer, Kyungsoo lightly running his fingers up and down Baekhyun's arm.

"Worth it, though. I could almost go again."

Baekhyun twisted in his arms to grin at him and then he pushed himself up. "C'mon. We gotta get ready or we'll be late."

Kyungsoo reached for a helping hand to get up and let Baekhyun haul him to his en-suite bathroom. To gain some time they showered together, but that proved to be rather inefficient as Baekhyun couldn't stop himself from dropping to his knees and deepthroating his boyfriend.

"We're.. going.. to be... _late -_ " Groaned Kyungsoo as he came all over Baekhyun's face. "Besides," he added, watching him rinse off, "It's your birthday, I should be the one giving blowjobs."

"You gave me free, unimpeded access to your excellent ass - as well as homemade pancakes in bed. The least I can do in return is suck your dick," Baekhyun smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

They dressed quickly and left the house with a few minutes to spare. Baekhyun took his hand as they walked down the large avenue that led to the city's main streets and towards the Indian restaurant he had picked for his birthday lunch.

"So, fair warning," he said suddenly, "they reacted reasonably well the other night when I told them but I think my mom might make a few comments today. She always takes a while to process stuff and she can be a little passive-aggressive."

"Okay," nodded Kyungsoo.

"And my dad likes to make jokes, and they're not always.. the most respectful."

"Gotcha."

"He might use the word 'fag' because he doesn't realize how bad it is."

Kyungsoo squeezed his hand. "Thanks for warning me."

"They're not bad people," Baekhyun said hurriedly, "Not _really_. They're just.. used to nothing but cishet normativity."

"Everyone has to learn at some point. As long as they're open to learning, we can manage, babe."

Baekhyun smiled at the pet name, which Kyungsoo used so infrequently. "You're right. And I _can_ do this. I can educate them."

"Besides, we have time right ? This is just a first meeting."

Baekhyun paused for a fraction of a second, but the smile returned to his lips quickly. "That's true. We have time. Oh my god," he added after a few moments, running a hand through his hair, "I'm still not used to thinking that we're together, for like -" He stopped, searching for his words.

"For real ?"

"No - well, yes. For real, but also for - a while. Probably. Right ?"

Kyungsoo gave him a soft smile. "As far as I'm concerned, yeah."

Baekhyun stopped in his tracks. "I.. Kyungsoo, I have to tell you something. I -"

But his next words were interrupted by a tiny ball of energy that crashed into him with an indistinct yell.

"Jesus _christ_ , Yuna -" He yelped as she pulled him down to give him a forceful nuggie. "Stop it - STOP IT YOU LUNATIC !"

Supremely unbothered by her brother's protests, Yuna released him and turned to Kyungsoo with the exact same sunny smile he loved to see on Baekhyun. She had the same slightly downturned eyes but there was a greater sense of calm radiating off her as she greeted him, in spite of how she'd just jumped her brother. "Hello Kyungsoo," she said, "It's nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you !"

"Likewise," he smiled back. "And thanks for inviting me to your wedding by the way."

"Oh, it's my pleasure. I'm glad for any excuse to increase the number of guests under fifty." She rolled her eyes and added, "our mother is paying and she thinks that's reason enough to invite half her friends."

Baekhyun groaned as he attempted to smooth his hair down. "Speaking of which, where are Mom and Dad ?"

"No idea, but we're going to be late if we don't get a move on." She set off at a brisk pace towards the restaurant. Despite her diminutive stature, it required no small amount of effort to keep up with her and it only occurred to Kyungsoo after some moments to ask :

"Hey, what were you going to say ?"

"What ? Oh - I'll tell you later - there's Dad !" He waved suddenly at a middle-aged man with glasses and a scruffy beard, but his smile fell when they approached and found him alone. "Hey Dad."

"Hi kid, happy birthday !" he answered, smiling. He came forward to give his son a quick bear hug and then turned to Kyungsoo. "You must be Kyungsoo," he said, shaking his hand. "I'm Baekhyun's father."

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Dad.. where's Mom ?" Asked Baekhyun very quietly. His father gave him a sad look and shook his head.

"She... she needs a little time. I'm sorry. She'll come around."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ughh.. yeah it can't always be easy. 
> 
> If you've come out recently or are considering coming out this is a checkpoint to let you know :
> 
> you are valid, you are beautiful and I support you <3


	94. Chapter 94

"So your mom is not.. entirely supportive," said Chanyeol, seated at the table. He was opening bags of potato chips and emptying them at random into salad bowls while Jongdae, cross-legged on the table, tested them each one by one. "That sucks."

"Yeah," shrugged Baekhyun, fishing around the cabinets for more glasses. "I think I should have expected it. She didn't say much the evening I came out so I thought she'd be okay, but she's never been the most tolerant. You should have heard her when I said I'd decided to major in philosophy."

"Are you sure you don't just want us to run to the store and get some plastic cups ?" Asked Kyungsoo, entering with an armload of liquor bottles.

"I'm not sacrificing turtles to convenience," answered Baekhyun, adding five more drinking glasses to the ones he'd already accumulated.

"Yeah Kyungsoo, think of the turtles," echoed Jongdae with a grin.

"Fine," replied Kyungsoo, rolling his eyes, "But no dibs on washing the dishes."

"No dibs !" Yelled Baekhyun and Chanyeol in unison.

"Wait -" Jongdae gaped, "Wait, no -"

"The turtles appreciate your sacrifice," said Kyungsoo, leaving the room. He met Minseok at the door, who stuck his head in to announce :

"The performance club is here."

"Where ?"

"They're in the garden. That Park Kyung guy is giving them an architecture lecture on the house."

"Oh, well, at least it gives us time to finish setting up."

"Hi guys," Yixing pushing past Minseok to get some potato chips. "There's a bunch of nerds in your yard, Baek."

"Shut up and take some of these glasses to the living room."

Guests began to arrive while they moved the glasses and salad bowls full of potato chips to the large living room. There were gleeful shouts of happy birthday and colourfully wrapped presents for Baekhyun. Kyungsoo watched him carefully from the couch, and he was glad to see the faint gloom that had surrounded him all afternoon fade with each new guest and greeting. Lunch had been a rather subdued affair, in spite of his father's many attempts at levity, and it made Kyungsoo's heart ache for his boyfriend.

"He was born to be in the spotlight, wasn't he ?" Said Yixing softly, joining Kyungsoo on the couch and handing him a bottle of beer. They watched Baekhyun lead half the performance club in a spontaneous acapella rendition of Africa by Toto, which caused the whole room to erupt into raucous applause.

"He really is," Kyungsoo smiled softly. He'd had a couple drinks while they were setting up and the beer was making him feel pleasantly fuzzy and mushy. "He's like.. a light.. and I'm a moth."

"Are you drunk already, Soo ?" Came Junmyeon's voice. The two young men on the couch turned to find him smiling at them, jacket still on, and Yixing got up with a grin.

"Hi Junmyeon ! It's good to see you again, I'm glad you -"

A tall figure appeared at that point behind Junmyeon, and Yixing had the sudden air of one who'd swallowed a potato chip sideways.

"Hi," said Yifan. Kyungsoo shivered in spite of himself. There was something vaguely growly about his voice that he'd never noticed before but that made him suddenly understand what Baekhyun had been talking about with the werewolves.

"This is Yifan," Junmyeon gestured a little awkwardly. "He's my - boyfriend. And Yifan, this is Yixing.. he's friends with Baek."

"Pleasure to meet you."

There was a weird energy as they shook hands and Kyungsoo was definitely not drunk enough to deal with it, so he rose unsteadily and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a six-pack in case anyone else needed a refill, but as he crossed the hallway, he noticed the front door was half open and there seemed to be someone behind it. He crept forward and listened intently.

" - and I promise it'll be okay."

"I don't know.." said an unfamiliar voice. "I know I said I'd try, but.. I'm scared."

"Taozi," answered a low voice that Kyungsoo definitely knew, "I understand, and if you don't feel safe we're gone, in a heartbeat - and I'll never see them again. But please.. just try ?"

"It's not just that." There was a faint sigh, "It's just.. it sounds like there's so _many_ people.."

There was a faint rustling and Kyungsoo decided he'd heard enough. Gently, he pulled the door all the way open and found behind it Sehun, standing very close to someone who had to be Tao, and whose face was buried in their hands. They were dressed in some flowy black fabric that make him think vaguely of the underworld, with a flowered headdress.

"Hi," he said very quietly, hoping not to scare them. They looked up and Kyungsoo felt a slight twinge in his heart when he saw the tears in their eyes. "Mind if I drink out here with you guys ? They're such loud fuckers in there, I'm getting a headache."

Sehun gave Tao a searching look and after a split second, they nodded.

"Hi Kyungsoo," said Sehun, gesturing proudly, "This my partner, Tao."

"Hi Tao, it's nice to meet you. My pronouns are he and him," he added with a smile, shaking their hand.

Tao smiled a little at this, and they accepted the offer of beer with an expression of gratitude. They all sat down on the porch, Kyungsoo and Tao in Hyo-Sonn's porch swing and Sehun right next to his partner on a stool, and Kyungsoo sighed happily.

"I like parties," he said after a short silence, "But _man,_ the Performance Club is a loud bunch of idiots."

Sehun grinned. "Isn't your boyfriend their star member ?"

"He's the loudest idiot of them all."

There was a loud bang and a flash, then a puff of smoke and Baekhyun appeared in a floor length red cape. Tao yelped, Sehun fell off his stool and Kyungsoo jumped out of his skin.

"WHAT the FUCK -"

"I have been summoned," he replied in a sepulchral tone.

"Since when do you do practical magic ?!"

"I got some help from Jimin and Jungkook," Baekhyun waved at a couple heads sticking out of an upstairs window, that let out a gleeful whoop and retreated, yelling indistinctly. Then he turned back to the porch dwellers with a flourish of his red cape and stepped forward, bowing. "You must be Tao. Welcome to my abode."

"... Thank you," They answered, eyes still wide.

Ever the showman, he raised both flaps of his cape and groaned, "Would... you... like... some .... BIRTHDAY CAKE ?"

".. yes, please."

"Great ! I'll bring some out."

And a few moments later, he joined them with the whole cheesecake that Kyungsoo had baked earlier and four spoons.

"Aren't you.. going to share with your other guests ?" Asked Tao uncertainly.

"Yeah, probably," grinned Baekhyun. "But Kyungsoo made this so he gets dibs. And besides I'm glad to get to hang out a little. Sehun's been telling us about you for ages."

Tao blushed faintly and nudged Sehun. "Have you really ?"

"Of course, love. You're the coolest person I know."

"That checks out," nodded Baekhyun, "You're dressed like Persephone and it's literally the best look I've seen all year."

"Oh my god," Tao blushed further. "That's.. the best compliment I've ever gotten."

"Amazing cake, Kyungsoo," said Sehun, shovelling a piece into his mouth. Everyone echoed him enthusiastically, and then a window opened and a screech announced the arrival of Jongdae, who clambered out and stood pointing an accusatory index finger at Baekhyun.

"YOU'RE HOARDING THE CAKE !!"

"IT'S MY FUCKING CAKE !"

And with a hiss and a flourish of his cape that would have made Dracula himself proud, Baekhyun seized the cake and disappeared into the house. The sounds of pursuit echoed out the open front door, and they started to debate on what might be happening inside.

"Sounds like someone's tackled him to the ground," said Tao, leaning forward to hear better when a loud crash came to their ears.

"I don't know," Sehun shook his head, "I think someone must have fallen flat on their face."

"Shall we go inside and find out ?" Kyungsoo asked lightly and to his joy, Tao immediately got up and grinned.

"Sounds like there's enough chaos going on in there that no one will notice me."

"Fat chance," replied Kyungsoo, leading them in. "The instant Jongin and Taemin see you they'll be in love with you."

He was absolutely right, and to his delight, Tao seemed to forget their shyness in the process of explaining how to build a custom flower crown to a fascinated Taemin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update is late u.u
> 
> On the plus side remember when these chapters were like... 200 words long lmao
> 
> by the time I finish this fic each chapter will be 10k+ or something


	95. Chapter 95

"BOG HOGS !!" Yelled Baekhyun, dropping apparently out of thin air and onto Yixing's lap in the middle of his conversation with Jihyo, just as he'd been trying to think of a flirty compliment to pay her. The party was still going strong, and Baekhyun was obviously quite toasted at this point, but in a strange sense, Yixing was relieved at the interruption. Jihyo was gorgeous but something inside himself was off. He kept glancing around, hoping for a sight of Yifan, whose strong handshake kept intruding on his mind at random, and the memory of Junmyeon's cologne was extremely fresh in his mind. It was severely hindering his game.

"Bog hogs ?"

"Hozier !!"

"What ?"

Baekhyun twisted to look at Jihyo. "Dude, I'm sorry but I _need_ Yixing right now. He has the key to the bogs hogs."

"What the fuck are you talking about ?"

"Like, six months ago you showed me this meme about bog hogs."

"What does that have to do with Hozier ?" Asked Jihyo, leaning forward with a smile.

"He's the bogman !!! Hence, bog hogs."

"I think he's drunk," said Kyungsoo suddenly, materializing out of the shadows. His face was red and his speech was a little slurred, but he attempted to pull Baekhyun up anyway. It didn't work.

"I have to show Soo the bog hogs.. help me Obi Yixing," He dropped his voice to a whisper, and raised a hand to caress his friend's face, "You're my only hope.."

Yixing rolled his eyes. "Fine, but you have to get off me. I left my phone in my jacket in your room."

"I currently cannot move. If I sit up the alcohol in my tummy will be at 90°." Fortunately, this joke made him laugh so hard that he fell off Yixing's lap and onto the floor, allowing him to get up and scale the couch. Kyungsoo fell into his spot and Yixing heard him proudly tell Jihyo,

"That dumbass on the floor is my boyfriend."

"My dumbass boyfriend is in the kitchen. I think he has a crush on Minseok," she answered, and Yixing, somehow, was extremely relieved.

There was obviously a certain amount of chaos going on in the kitchen, and Yixing thought it would be fun to check it out once the bog hog conundrum had been lifted. He needed more booze anyway. He'd had barely more than one beer since he'd arrived.

He scaled the stairs quickly, and reaching Baekhyun's room, opened the door. The sight that greeted him froze him on the spot.

Junmyeon was naked on the bed, spread out and leaning his back against Yifan's chest as Yifan jerked him off. The taller appeared to be wearing nothing but his pants, and the gigantic shoulders that framed Junmyeon's smaller body were covered with a web of tattoos, crawling up his neck and down his arms. He seemed to be lightly biting Junmyeon, who was moaning, low but clear.

They payed no attention to Yixing, apparently unaware that the door had even opened, and he remained rooted to the spot, unable to tear his eyes away.

He watched as Yifan kissed up to Junmyeon's ears, and whispered something. He watched as Junmyeon's eyes flew open and met his own gaze.

"I'm -" He started to apologize but the words dried up in his throat. Yifan had slowed his rhythm a little, but he was also playing with the head of Junmyeon's cock and the effect was immediate. Junmyeon shivered and moaned again, not the same broken and wordless expressions of lust, but one very clear word.

" _Yixing._ "

"What do you want, baby ?" Yifan said to Junmyeon, his eyes fixed on Yixing.

"I - want him."

"Do you want him to fuck you ?"

"Uh-uh," moaned Junmyeon, leaning his head back against Yifan's chest and closing his eyes. "I want to feel him in me. I want him to cum inside me."

One of Yifan's broad hands travelled up Junmyeon's toned chest to pinch a nipple, eliciting a gasp.

"How about me ?"

"I want you - too."

"Are you greedy, Myeonnie ?"

Junmyeon's eyes opened again, clouded with lust, and he looked straight at Yixing. "What do you think ?" He whispered.

He held that heavy gaze for what felt like an eternity, then, almost without realizing it, closed the door softly behind himself and moved towards the bed, letting his clothes fall away as he went. He was shirtless and his pants were unzipped when he reached the bed and crawled up to kiss Junmyeon, but he stopped there, hovering a few inches away.

"Are you sure about this ?" He asked very quietly.

Yifan's hand had stopped and they were both watching him. Junmyeon bit his lip and nodded fervently, so Yixing looked up at Yifan.

"Are you guys.. drunk ?"

"We shared a beer," answered Yifan. "How about you ?"

"I've just had one too."

Yifan raised his free hand and cupped Yixing's face. "If you're okay, and Myeonnie's okay, then I'm okay."

"Okay," whispered Yixing, and then he leaned down to kiss Junmyeon as Yifan watched, biting his lip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on a true story.
> 
> A few weeks ago I spent literally an hour trying to find the BOG HOGS meme that someone had sent me in december. And it's, like, literally just hogs in a bog. 
> 
> bog hogs   
> lol 
> 
> also yeah I went and fucking did it because why the fuck not :3


	96. Chapter 96

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : mention of homophobia and gender-related intolerance

"Is he asleep ?" Asked Tao quietly, entering the living room with a beer in their hand. Their flower crown was gone but they seemed much more at ease than when they'd arrived.

On the couch, Kyungsoo ran a soft hand through Baekhyun's hair. He was lying smushed against Kyungsoo, eyes closed and snoring lightly. The party was still going, mostly in the kitchen for some reason (Kyungsoo suspected it was cake related). They could hear the occasional shouts of mirth from Jongdae and Taemin. The living room was much quieter. Jihyo was crouched down in a corner, examining the bookshelves, and someone was passed out under an armchair, with just their feet sticking out.

"Yeah, I think so," said Kyungsoo. "What's going on in the kitchen ?"

"They're playing never have I ever. Jongdae's just admitted to once having had sex in a tree."

"Like, up in the branches ? That sounds dangerous."

Tao grinned and shook their head. "You know those gigantic redwoods in California ? Sometimes the base is hollowed out. There's one that you can fit a whole car in."

"Oh my god," groaned Kyungsoo. "You're telling me he literally had sex _in_ a tree ?"

"Yeah, apparently."

"Aren't there, like.. spiders and insects in there ?"

Tao shivered. "That's a question I don't want answered."

At that point they heard Jongdae shout "ON MY FUCKING ASS !!" from the kitchen, and a howl of laughter followed. Tao and Kyungsoo smiled at this, and the door opened again to reveal a queasy looking Jongin, wearing Tao's flower crown.

"I can handle a lot," he announced, flopping onto the other end of the couch, "but spider bites is where I draw the line."

"You're just scared you'll have to admit to something really kinky you do with Taemin," said Kyungsoo.

Jongin looked vaguely affronted. "I have no shame about my sex life, thank you very much. And besides, we're not _that_ kinky."

"You guys are really open with each other," said Tao quietly. They were sitting in the armchair across from Kyungsoo and, wrapped in a dark blanket that Hyo-Sonn had brought back from Spain, they looked extremely dignified. Between them and Jongin, whose flowy, silky blue shirt dipped dangerous low, revealing part of his pecs, Kyungsoo felt like he was hanging out on Olympus.

At that point, Baekhyun gave a loud snore and shifted in his sleep.

"How's he doing ?" Asked Jongin quietly, nodding at the sleeping figure. "Jongdae mentioned something about his mom."

"I think he's okay," Kyungsoo resumed petting his boyfriend's hair. "He hasn't talked much about it but I think he just needs a little time to process what happened."

"What happened ?" Said Tao.

"He came out to his parents a few days ago and today we found out that his mom isn't okay with him being gay. We were supposed to have lunch together but she didn't show."

"Oh.. I'm so sorry. That's awful." They hugged their shawl tighter.

"It's hard because.. like, the reason he didn't come out until now was because he was worried about disappointing them," Kyungsoo explained. "So it's like his worst fear is realized, I guess."

"Yeah," Tao nodded, "And it's so difficult to rid yourself of the need for a parent's approval. But I think that's also when we really start to grow into ourselves as adults, right ? When we can look our parents in the eye and dare to say, no.. you _don't_ know best."

Kyungsoo paused for a second to take that in. "Oof," he whispered, thinking of his own mother.

Jongin pulled a cushion close and hugged it. "Are you on good terms with your family, Tao ?"

They smiled sadly. "No. I was never on good terms with them. I was.. never good at hiding who I was, and that made them uncomfortable."

"Did you always know you were non-binary ?"

Tao pondered this for a little before answering. "In a way, yes. There was always a part of me that resented having to choose. Boy things, girl things.. it didn't make sense to me. It was only when I started reading more about gender theory that things clicked. I had words to put on what I felt and I knew I couldn't bend to their expectations anymore. That's when I came out." They took a swig of beer. "They never kicked me out of the house but they stopped talking to me. Like, entirely."

Jongin shook his head. "Jesus christ."

"So I moved out." Tao shrugged. "Haven't talked to them in five years. They want to act like pre-schoolers, that's their choice, but I don't have to deal with their tantrum."

"How old were you ?" Asked Kyungsoo.

"When I left ? I'd just turned eighteen. I got lucky and never had to live on the streets, but it came close a few times."

At that point, Sehun poked his head through the door and, seeing Tao, smiled. "Hey love," he said, joining them on the armchair, "I wondered where you'd got to."

Tao put their arms around Sehun and smiled back. "I'm hanging out. Kyungsoo and Jongin are being really nice to me."

"I haven't said anything -" Jihyo popped out from behind the couch, causing everyone to jump, "- Sorry - I was busy flipping through this," she waved what seemed to be a book of paintings, "but I was listening and I think you're so brave, Tao."

Tao blushed and Sehun nodded enthusiastically. "Strongest person I've ever met," he said and kissed the top of Tao's head. "You inspire me every day, love."

"Stop it," Tao hid their face in Sehun's back.

"It sounds like it's been really lonely for you," said Kyungsoo softly, "But I hope we've been able to make you feel welcome."

"Are you kidding ? I rarely enjoy parties because I'm shy as fuck on top of everything else, but you guys have been awesome."

They all teetered for a second on the verge of rushing Tao to hug them, but then the door crashed open and Daniel, Jihyo's boyfriend, burst in, yelling :

"MINSEOK'S ON THE ROOF !! MINSEOK IS ON THE ROOF !!"

"Oh Jesus fucking Christ," mumbled Kyungsoo, trying to delicately remove himself from under Baekhyun without waking him and then he followed everyone outside to behold Minseok on the roof of the porch, yelling something about enzymes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sleepy baby baekkie <3 
> 
> inspired by all those lives where stuffs his face and then takes a nap on camera  
> not, perhaps, the content we deserve  
> but definitely the content we need right now.


	97. Chapter 97

There was no park in town quite as nice for lounging around as the expanse of wild growth along the river, and now that exams were over they had all the time in the world to enjoy the sunshine. Kyungsoo joined Jongin on his blanket with a happy sigh and Baekhyun followed soon after, cuddling up to his boyfriend.

"I just can't work today," groaned Jongin. "I think I'm still hung-over."

"It was quite a party, wasn't it ?" Yawned Baekhyun, sounding extremely satisfied.

Kyungsoo nodded darkly. "You can say that again. I'm just glad we got Minseok off that roof."

"I never really understood why he even got up there."

"I think someone might have dared him ?"

"I bet it was Jongdae," said Baekhyun, "he always does that when he's drunk."

Jongin rolled his eyes. "He's a menace."

"That's for sure."

Silence fell over them again and Kyungsoo closed his eyes, a deep sense of calm washing over him with the sound of rushing water.

"When do we get our exam results again ?" Asked Baekhyun after a little bit, and Kyungsoo groaned loudly, all sense of calm vanishing.

"Please, no."

"What ?"

"I don't even want to think about grades right now."

Baekhyun poked his ribs. "Why are you so sure you failed, Soo ?"

"You always do this," Jongin leaned back onto his elbows and gave him a serious look. "You're always certain you've failed, for no reason."

"This time there's a reason," Kyungsoo sighed. "I was way more distracted than usual."

"... Distracted ?" Jongin frowned in confusion, but he caught Baekhyun's expression and fell silent.

"You're talking about me right. I'm the distraction. Right ?" Asked Baekhyun, forcing his voice to stay calm.

"No !" Said Kyungsoo hurriedly. "Well - I mean... kind of. But a welcome one !"

Baekhyun sat up and ran a hand through his hair, trying very hard to look nonchalant. "So if your GPA drops it's my fault ?"

Kyungsoo shook his head firmly. "No. Definitely not. Sorry, I'm being a jerk. I just - I don't know -"

"Hmm." Baekhyun's mouth had gotten very thin and Kyungsoo felt entirely crestfallen. It was like he'd picked the wrong dialog option and lost 10 relationship points in an instant.

"I think," said Jongin gently, "That Kyungsoo has a complicated relationship to his grades and it might be.. the first time that anyone has been more important to him than his academic success."

Kyungsoo nodded and tugged on Baekhyun's sleeve. "What he said. That's exactly right."

Baekhyun's eyebrows rose but he didn't say anything so Kyungsoo took his hand.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean that you're a distraction. You've just - shifted my priorities a little. And I'm still learning to deal with that."

Baekhyun nodded slowly. He still didn't speak, though, so Kyungsoo took a deep breath and added, "Maybe.. maybe I'm learning that.. being happy is.. as important as being the smartest. Thanks to you. Please.. please don't be mad ?"

"Fine," he broke into a reluctant smile and Kyungsoo breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm sorry too. I get insecure, too easily."

Kyungsoo leaned forward to kiss him.

"Good job, kids," said Jongin lightly behind them, "on defusing a fight before it even happened."

"I hate fighting with you," whispered Baekhyun, so Kyungsoo squeezed his hand and whispered back, "me too."

"I'm impressed," Jongin continued, "Watching you talk to your previous partners was like watching two inanimate objects trying to communicate. You've grown a lot, young padawan."

"Fuck off," Kyungsoo gave him a playful shove. "I wasn't _that_ bad at relationships."

"You were terrible. Why'd you think they never lasted ?"

"Cause the feeling wasn't right."

Jongin shook his head. "Because you never put in the effort like you're doing now."

After pondering this for a second, Kyungsoo shrugged. "Well maybe, mister smart guy.. but Baekhyun's different."

"How so ?"

"Oh yes," Baekhyun let himself fall into Kyungsoo's lap, "please say something corny about me."

"He has something none of my exes ever had," Kyungsoo smiled down at his boyfriend and ran a hand through his hair. There was a short silence as they both waited for him to continue and then he added, "A fucking gigantic dick."

Which caused Baekhyun to howl with laughter and Jongin to threaten to kick them both off his blanket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revenge is a dick best deep-throated 
> 
> or something


	98. Chapter 98

"Hey man," called Junmyeon from the door, kicking his shoes off. Kyungsoo, feeling entirely too lazy to get up from the couch and properly greet him, waved in his general direction. On the screen, Ruby was kicking ass at making bread in the Great British Bake-Off tent, and it was as captivating as ever.

"Oh, great episode," smiled Junmyeon, joining him on the couch. "She's honestly so pretty."

"Right ? Sometimes with Baekhyun I start to wonder if I might not be gay, but.. _girls_ , man."

"I know," nodded Junmyeon fervently. "Their smiles ? And their eyes.. and their hands as well, right ?"

There was an opportune close-up shot of Ruby kneading her dough and they both sighed happily.

"I just wanna sit in her kitchen and watch her make cakes while I sip a cup of tea," said Kyungsoo after a while.

"Oh yeah, big mood."

"Junmyeon," Kyungsoo shifted to look at him. "We've been over this. You can't just use 'mood' to express approval."

"Right," Junmyeon nodded, "That would be mood as fuck."

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and let it go, simply muttering, "Jesus, grandpa."

They watched Ruby impress everyone on the technical challenge and, after a little while, Junmyeon cleared his throat.

"Can I... ask you something ? I'm in a bit of a pickle."

"Of course, dude." Kyungsoo reached for the remote and lowered the sound on the TV.

"So.. this is kind of awkward."

"Did you do something bad ?"

"I don't.. think so ? Let's see - so, right, you know I've been seeing Yifan."

"Yeah," Kyungsoo nodded and sat up a little to give his roommate his full attention.

"And.. you remember how I was texting back and forth with Yixing ?" Junmyeon became suddenly very focused on his nails.

"Yeah," Said Kyungsoo, "And it was hard for you to decide who you wanted to date."

"Right, right. So.. something sort of - happened."

"Did you make out with Yixing ?"

"Wha - uh. Actually, yeah."

"And you don't know how to tell Yifan ?"

"Um.." Junmyeon shifted, looking like he wanted to peel his own skin off and walk away from the conversation, "No, no.. that's _not_ the problem because.. because he was there. When Yixing kissed me."

"Oh." Kyungsoo nodded slowly, then asked, "So he's.. mad at you ?"

"No.. no.. he also kissed Yixing."

With that, the truth dawned suddenly on Kyungsoo and he found himself gaping at Junmyeon. "Oh my god. Did you have a _threesome_ ? With Yifan and Yixing ?"

He blushed to his ears and looked away, muttering simply, "Yes."

"Oh my god Junmyeon. I don't even know what to say ! Was it fun ?"

"It was - it was honestly amazing. I don't want to get into details but, yeah, pretty much the best night ever."

Kyungsoo grinned at him and punched his shoulder. "I'm so proud of you. Get it, man !"

"So okay, but.. the thing is.. I haven't spoken to Yixing since then. And I sort of - don't know if it's a one off or not ?"

"Hmm," Kyungsoo pondered this. "Well, do you want it to be a one off thing ?"

"I don't know," Junmyeon blushed even more violently and added, "I think I want it to happen again. I like Yixing a lot. But I don't want to mess up what we have with Yifan."

"How does he feel about it ?"

"I don't know.. I'm scared to bring it up."

"That's fair," Kyungsoo leaned back in the couch. "Well, did he seem to be enjoying himself ? During the threesome ?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I was pretty distracted because he was jerking me off already when Yixing came in -" He stopped suddenly and, realizing what he'd said, buried his face in his hands. "Oh god, I'm sorry. You don't want to hear that."

"It's okay, buddy," Kyungsoo patted his shoulder. "I'll survive, and it sounds like you need to get this off your chest. But let me see - Yifan doesn't strike me like someone who'd hang out and let something happen if he wasn't cool with it."

"No, that's true, but still.. how can I possibly tell him that he isn't enough ?"

"Isn't he enough ?"

Junmyeon bit his lip, looking so uncomfortable that Kyungsoo almost wanted to hug him. "Well yes, and also.. now that we've done it with Yixing, I do keep thinking about him as well. It's not like I don't want Yifan anymore, I do ! I just.. want.. Yixing too."

"Can't you just.. tell him that ?"

"But isn't it wrong ?" Asked Junmyeon very quietly, his gaze fixed on his own hands.

"Well.." Kyungsoo paused for a second, then continued, "I don't think so ? You're not hurting anyone. And to be honest, monogamy is a fairly recent development in human history. For a really, really long time, people didn't worry about it as much as we do today."

"I guess.."

"Yifan loves you, right ?"

"Y- yeah."

"And you love him ?"

"I do."

"And do you think you could love Yixing ?"

"I - maybe ? I don't know. I think, maybe, yeah."

Kyungsoo nodded. "Then I think you should talk about with Yifan and if he's also interested, talk to Yixing and see how he feels and where it might go. You never know man," he patted Junmyeon's shoulder once again, "You might be on the brink of something really amazing."

Junmyeon, who'd scrunched himself up, relaxed a little and sighed. "I think I'm just going to make myself some hot chocolate and not think about this anymore until tomorrow."

"Also a good plan."

There was, after all, no heartache or problem that hot chocolate couldn't soothe. Especially the way Junmyeon made it with a whole shot of whisky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyungsoo's right, monogamy is actually a fairly recent development 
> 
> In the ancient world it just made more sense, at least for royal lines, in part because they practiced incest and polygamy ensured that you didn't get the pitiful tumbleweed of a family tree that was the Habsburg line 
> 
> because those guys were entirely monogamous but still on that "keeping the bloodline pure" shit, which meant the last Habsburg king, Charles II, was so deformed he was the laughingstock of Europe (poor guy) 
> 
> so yeah moral of this story is  
> if you're going to marry your family do it responsibly, practice polygamy  
> (but also maybe just don't marry family members)
> 
> (and let's just agree to let the polyamory stigma go)
> 
> (this has been a PSA)


	99. Chapter 99

"So this is technically our third date, right ?" Asked Baekhyun, squeezing Kyungsoo's hand as they walked down the street in an artsy neighbourhood, passing hip coffee shops and art galleries.

"Yeah, I think that's right. I'm hoping you'll put out by the end of this one," Kyungsoo grinned.

"Oh yeah, don't worry, I want to get to second base too," Baekhyun grinned back at him. "So what's the plan ? Have you hired an orchestra to serenade me ?"

"No, but I'm jotting that down for later use."

"Are we going for a plane ride ?"

"A _plane_ ride ? Do I look like Jeff Bezos ?"

Baekhyun wrinkled his nose, "Don't even mention that asshole. Besides, you can get airplane rides for pretty cheap, I think."

"I'll let you plan that date out, then."

"You got it ! I've been meaning to set some really romantic shit up too."

"Start with your vocabulary," Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

"You woo me so good, I want to woo you too."

"You sound like a baby werewolf."

"Yeah," Baekhyun said thoughtfully, "I can never do the growl as well you do it."

"Regardless," Kyungsoo stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and, seizing Baekhyun's face in both his hands, left a delicate kiss on his surprised lips, "You're adorable."

This flustered Baekhyun enough that he was silent and unable to stop smiling until they reached their destination : an old movie theatre that was known for playing mostly classics, and which was having a summer time _Old Horror Movies_ festival.

"I hope you're ready for really out-dated special effects," Kyungsoo gestured at the posters, which announced the screenings of The Mummy (1932), Castle Sinister, and Dr. Cyclops.

Baekhyun eyes shone and Kyungsoo could tell he was refraining from bouncing up and down. "But you don't even like horror movies," he said, squeezing Kyungsoo's hand hard.

"I know," replied Kyungsoo, "But you like them and I like you."

"You are - you're just -" But words seemed to fail Baekhyun so he just grabbed Kyungsoo by his jacket and kissed him instead, hungry and a little desperate. They were both panting when they separated, and Baekhyun leaned his forehead against his boyfriend's forehead, whispering, "You're swell."

"I'm _swell_ ?" Kyungsoo burst out laughing. "Gee, thanks grandpa."

"So which one are we seeing ?"

"We missed The Mummy," he answered, pointing at the poster, "But we can do both Castle Sinister and Dr. Cyclops if you're up for it."

"Sounds good ! You know, I've heard about Castle Sinister before but I've never actually seen it," Baekhyun said, eyes shining with excitement. Kyungsoo's heart gave a tiny throb at the sight and Baekhyun, entirely unaware, continued, "It's like a Holy Grail horror movie, most of the copies were destroyed."

"Oh wow, I had no idea. Guess it's an extra great date then."

"It was already amazing," Baekhyun grinned and dragged him to the ticket booth. There was a brief scuffle as he tried to pay for their tickets and Kyungsoo had to physically lift him and set him aside in order to stop him, causing the cashier to squint at them suspiciously. Fortunately there was also a theatre cat on the counter, and that distracted Baekhyun long enough to get the tickets paid.

"No roughhousing in the theatre," said the cashier, handing them their popcorn. As they walked down the hall to room 5, he added, "And no cave diving either !"

"... Cave diving ?" Asked Kyungsoo, holding the door open for Baekhyun.

"You know.. interior decorating," Baekhyun winked at him and Kyungsoo followed him in, entirely baffled.

"... _What ?_ "

"Playing hide the cannoli ?"

"What the actual fuck ?"

"Puddle snuggling !"

The theatre was empty so they picked seats right in the middle and sat down, Kyungsoo still grappling to understand what the fuck Baekhyun was talking about.

" _Puddle snuggling_ ? What is that even supposed to mean ?"

"Oh come on ! Putting the wand in the Chamber of Secrets, eh ?"

The truth suddenly dawned on him and he sat back, dumbfounded. "Wait so.. puddle snuggling means sex ? And.. _cave diving_?"

"Yeah of course !"

"How the fuck ?"

Baekhyun shrugged. "I honestly don't know. There's a list of popular euphemisms for sex somewhere online. I learned like 200 of them a few years ago before I got bored. Maybe I should've looked up their etymology," he added thoughtfully.

"Jesus Christ."

"But to be honest, lexical references to sex tend to be so colloquial there's little hope of retracing their origins. It's like the fastest moving part of language, cause basically we're just all a horny bunch of fuckers who don't want to admit it. That means it's also the least likely to get written down."

This was a lot of information at once, so Kyungsoo chewed on his lip for a little, processing.

"I guess that makes sense," he said after a few moments. "I wonder.. in Pompeii there's a fair amount of graffiti that was preserved due to the eruption, and most of it is quite sexual. There might be some records of popular roman euphemism for sex."

Baekhyun was about to answer but instead, a loud siren-like blared out of his pocket, causing them both to jump out of their skins.

"WHAT THE FUCK -" Yelled Kyungsoo, a hand on his heart.

Baekhyun fumbled for his phone, which had fallen on the theatre floor. "Sorry ! Sorry ! It's my ringtone ! Sorry !"

"Why does your ringtone want to kill me," he grumbled as Baekhyun answered his phone. A couple people entered the room and cast a dirty look at them.

"Yeah," Baekhyun nodded, listening intently, "Hang on - No, I'm kind of busy right now." There was indistinct, frantic mumbling and Kyungsoo watched his boyfriend's expression get increasingly more serious. After a little while he sighed. "Fine. Just breathe, and I'll be there soon okay ?"

He switched his phone off and turned to Kyungsoo. "Dude, I'm sorry but Yuna is literally freaking out about the wedding. I know you put a lot of thought into this date but.. she needs me."

There was a beat of silence then Kyungsoo nodded. "Yeah ! Yeah of course, no problem. Do you need me to come ?"

"I don't know if she'd be comfortable with that.." Baekhyun bit his lip. "I'm so sorry, Soo. It's just.. since the wedding is next week I really don't want anything to upset her more."

"Then.." Kyungsoo said slowly, trying to ignore the hurt, "Then I'll stay and watch Castle Sinister so I can tell you all about it."

"Thank you. Thank you, Soo." Baekhyun leaned in and pressed a hasty kissed to his lips. "I'm really sorry, I'll make it up to you."

And with that, he got up and walked quickly out of the theatre, leaving Kyungsoo behind. Fortunately, he hadn't had time to eat more than half of the bucket of popcorn so Kyungsoo settled in for Castle Sinister, trying very hard to ignore his disappointment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I disappeared guys, I was exhausted and just couldn't get the energy to write. 
> 
> There's like.. mosquitoes ?? in my room ? and for the past five days I haven't had any sleep because of those fuckers ? 
> 
> I have no idea where they're coming from. Current theory is that my cat lets them so that I get up earlier to feed her, but.. she doesn't have opposable thumbs and she's too fat to reach the door knob by jumping. 
> 
> But today I'm buying citronella diffusers for every fucking inch of my bedroom and also I've had a writing spree for the next few chapters so I promise I'm not disappearing again
> 
> As an apology (?? idk) here's some of my favourite graffiti from pompeii
> 
> Ursi me comedant - Let the bears devour me (mood)
> 
> Accensum qui pedicat urit mentulam - He who fucks a fire burns his dick (translation debated, could refer to a specific person)
> 
> and lots and lots of drawings of dicks


	100. Chapter 100

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : sex

A sorry Baekhyun, it turned out, was a horny Baekhyun, which Kyungsoo wasn't quite sure how to wrap his brain around. There had to be something weird about it, and potentially unhealthy, but he'd been caught off guard when Baekhyun had appeared at his door with his shirt unbuttoned and wearing a very sultry expression. From then on it had been a bit of a whirl, and now he was on the couch with Baekhyun kneeling between his knees and sucking his dick very enthusiastically.

"Junmyeon might come home soon," Kyungsoo said breathlessly.

"Then hurry up and cum." There was something incredibly hot about the bossiness of Baekhyun's tone. It was no more than a minute before Kyungsoo was frantically tapping his boyfriend's shoulder, but he stayed where he was.

"Baek, get off, I'm gonna -"

He came then and Baekhyun swallowed it all, stroking him through and even when Kyungsoo was finished, he kept licking the head of his cock gently, even rubbing his face against it.

Kyungsoo frowned. "What're you -" But Baekhyun looked up at him with such lust that he felt his dick twitch.

"How d'you want me now ?"

"What ?"

"On the kitchen counter ?"

"That's not hygienic -"

"Then bent over the couch ?"

"Uh well - First of all I should prep you -"

"I'm ready," Baekhyun ran his tongue fully up Kyungsoo's dick. "I prepped myself before coming over so you don't have to bother."

He pushed Kyungsoo's shirt up and kissed along his abs to his left nipple, which he sucked into his mouth. "You can just bend me over and use me until you're satisfied -" he whispered.

Kyungsoo's stomach twisted. "Dude, what ?"

Baekhyun looked up at him and bit his lip, which was admittedly very sexy. "I've been bad," he replied simply, turning his attention to Kyungsoo's right nipple. This one was much more sensitive than the left so his train of thought was interrupted. He felt his dick, which hadn't really gone flaccid, harden again with each one of Baekhyun's licks and moans. Baekhyun seemed to notice this, because he pulled back long enough to say :

"Should I just climb onto your lap and bounce on your dick until you cum again ?"

"Hh -"

He laid a hand gently on said dick. "Could I make you cum three times ?"

"You could make me cum a hundred times and I'd still want more," answered Kyungsoo, hauling him up onto his lap and wrestling his pants off, kissing Baekhyun hard. He paused in the process, and pulled back to look at his boyfriend's flushed face.

"You're not even wearing underwear."

"Easier access," Baekhyun leaned down to kiss his neck, letting him shimmy the pants completely off. "You can take whatever you want from me."

" _Jesus fucking christ -_ " He reached around to grasp Baekhyun's ass and stood up. Baekhyun immediately put both legs around his waist and held on to his neck, biting lightly.

"What're you doing ?" He asked between kisses as Kyungsoo carried him towards his room.

"Need a condom to wreck you good."

"No.." Baekhyun whispered, and Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks. "No condom. I got tested last week, I'm clean."

There was a short pause then Kyungsoo pushed him against the wall by his bedroom door and, after fumbling a little, slid into Baekhyun's ass. They both groaned.

"Oh god -"

"Oh my sweet fuck -"

He stilled for a second to let Baekhyun get used to the stretch.

"You feel even bigger without the condom," he whispered.

"That makes no sense," replied Kyungsoo. He snapped his hips up, eliciting another moan, and since Baekhyun seemed to be enjoying himself so much he picked up the pace, slamming into his ass over and over again. But even with the wall to brace them, he could feel himself straining to keep Baekhyun where he was, so he stilled and kissed his jaw.

"I can't hold you up much longer."

Baekhyun returned the kiss, fumbling blindly for the doorknob. He lifted himself off Kyungsoo and led him into the room but not to the bed. Instead he went to the desk and set his hands on it, legs apart.

"Use me, Soo," he gave him another sultry look over his shoulder and Kyungsoo, on autopilot, lined himself up and fucked into his ass hard enough to knock the breath out of his lungs. There was a string of curse words as he went, according to Baekhyun's wishes, harder and harder. But as he felt his climax nearing, he flipped his boyfriend over and sat him on the edge of the desk. 

"What -" panted Baekhyun.

"I want to see your face when you cum on my cock," whispered Kyungsoo, slipping back in and kissing him softly. He reached down to Baekhyun's own cock and stroked it. An unfamiliar hardness around the base stopped him short.

"What's this - wait, are you wearing a cock ring ?"

"Yeah -"

" _Why_ ?"

Baekhyun looked away. "I thought it'd be fun."

"If you want to be teased you can just ask, baby. I'd rather you let me know."

"This isn't about me -" Baekhyun kissed his neck. "I bailed on our date so I owe you a good time."

"What the _fuck_ -" Kyungsoo pulled out and stepped back. "Is this what this is about ?"

Baekhyun, spread out on the desk, looked a little sheepish. ".. Yeah ?" He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Oh my god, no. No, this isn't right." As Baekhyun was starting to look a little wobbly in the lower lip, he stepped back in and put his arms around his boyfriend. "Babe, first of all you don't have to apologize for anything. You did what you had to do. And secondly, you shouldn't just.. offer me sex cause you feel guilty. I don't want to fuck you unless you really want it too."

"I do want it," answered Baekhyun quickly.

"Why the cock ring then ?"

".. cause I'm not allowed to cum.."

"Fuck _that_. If you're not allowed to cum it's because I say so, not because you think you've done something bad. Okay ?"

"O - okay."

Kyungsoo slid the clear plastic cock ring off and put it on the desk. "I'll be using this some other time. Right now I want to see you cum all over yourself."

And with those words, he slid back in, pounding into boyfriend and jerking him off simultaneously until he came, as requested, all over himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was initially supposed to be cute and shit but it turned out filthy and I'm not even mad


	101. Chapter 101

"You sound so good, Baek !" Luhan clapped enthusiastically.

Minseok nodded, looking over the sheet music. "I think you're ready, man."

In the corner of the small practise room, Baekhyun shifted from foot to foot. "Can we run through one more time ? I want it to be perfect."

"I mean, if you want, but I really don't think you need to," shrugged Minseok. "I've never seen you this stressed out about a performance. Is everything okay ?"

"It's just -" He bit his lip, uncertain how to continue. "Yuna's been a little freaked out and I want to make sure that.. if something does go wrong, it won't be because of me."

"Why would it ?" Asked Luhan. "You're an amazing performer, and you're used to singing in public."

"I know.. and thanks for the support, by the way. I don't know why it's getting to me like this."

"Let's go get lunch," said Minseok, rising decisively. "We can practice some more later if you still feel the need to."

Recognizing the wisdom of his words, Baekhyun packed his bag up quickly and followed his friends out of the practice room and to the cafeteria, where they found a very crowded table. Jongdae and Chanyeol were apparently wrestling with Kyungsoo, to the great amusement of both Junmyeon and Sehun. Yixing, at the end of the table, was shovelling spaghetti into his mouth and speed-reading a textbook, entirely oblivious to Kyungsoo's shouts of protest.

"What the fuck is going on here ?" Said Minseok with his best TA voice, causing the wrestling trio to freeze. Jongdae was apparently tying something around Kyungsoo's neck, while Chanyeol did his best to hold him in place.

"What are you doing to my boyfriend, dude ?" Baekhyun frowned at Jongdae.

"We're proving a point."

"THEY'RE TORTURING ME !" Yelled Kyungsoo, and Chanyeol, who'd managed to hold his arms back and immobilized, gave him a gentle nudge.

"Oh come on, you're being silly."

"What point are you proving, exactly ?"

Jongdae turned back to Kyungsoo, fiddled with his neck a little then stepped back with a flourish to reveal a violently purple bowtie, very poorly tied. "That a bowtie suits him much better than a plain old neck tie !"

"Fuck OFF !" Yelled Kyungsoo again, giving one mighty tug to free himself of Chanyeol's grasp. He succeeded and tore the bowtie off. "I'm not a fucking clown," he growled.

"I like the bowtie," said Baekhyun, earning a glare from Kyungsoo, "but you guys manhandle Kyungsoo like that one more time and I'll make you into soup."

"Bowties are fucking dumb," growled Kyungsoo, but he seemed very much mollified by Baekhyun's words, and even more so by the quick kiss that followed.

"Bowties are the pinnacle of menswear fashion !" Jongdae drew himself up haughtily.

"A fucking _purple_ one ?! Am I fucking _Dumbledore_ ?"

"You know," said Junmyeon lightly, "I've always thought that if I had to do it with one person in the Potterverse it would be young Dumbledore."

That distracted everyone from the bowtie debate. Even Yixing looked up from his last minute revision.

Luhan, the first to speak, was extremely unconvinced. " _Dumbledore_?"

"Why would you pick Dumbledore when there's a whole Bill Weasley right there in front of you ?" Said Baekhyun.

Jongdae banged his fist on the table. "I'd take Bill Weasley to the motherfucking milkshake machine."

"These euphemisms are getting out of hand," mumbled Kyungsoo, and he felt Minseok, who'd squeezed onto the bench next to him, nod.

"I don't even know where they're getting them anymore," he mumbled back, and they both shook their heads in mild despair at Jongdae, who paid them no attention.

Meanwhile, Junmyeon was comfortably steady in his opinion. "I just think young Dumbledore could get it. He seduced a genocidal maniac bent on killing half the magical population, the man had game."

"Did he really seduce him, though ?" Sehun leaned his head on his wrist. "I always read it like Grindelwald used Dumbledore's infatuation to get what he wanted."

"Regardless of feelings," said Yixing before returning to his book, "They fucked. The real question here is, who topped."

This was greeted by silence again as they considered the question. When they all spoke again, at the same time, it was split fairly equally, with Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Luhan and Junmyeon of the opinion that Dumbledore topped, while Jongdae, Sehun, Minseok and Sehun favoured Grindelwald. Yixing, when asked to pick a side, answered simply :

"I have an exam in 20 minutes. I'm no longer a part of this."

"That leaves Kyungsoo as tie-breaker," said Baekhyun importantly, "and since he's my boyfriend he automatically picks my side, so we win."

"UMPIRE ! UMPIRE !" Yelled Chanyeol. "That's cheating !"

"There isn't an umpire, and this conversation is dumb," answered Kyungsoo.

"C'mon, don't tell me you don't have an opinion," Jongdae nudged his foot.

"Surprisingly enough, I don't. And I thought we'd agreed to cancel JK Rowling for being a fucking transphobe."

They all sat back, a little deflated.

"I forgot about that," said Chanyeol quietly.

"So did I," Sehun looked upset. "Taozi wouldn't be happy with me."

"We're not talking about her, though ?" said Jongdae after a short silence. "We're talking about characters she created, but they exist in the world now, regardless of what she says. What readers think matters too, in my opinion."

"But we're still giving her exposure and importance, and she uses that to spout hate against people for nothing more than their existence," answered Sehun. "It's dangerous."

"Not publicly," Minseok leaned onto his elbows to look at Sehun. "This is a private conversation, we're not giving her any publicity."

"It's a tricky question," said Luhan slowly.

Baekhyun nodded. "It's an understandwich."

" _What_ ?"

"An understandwich ! Both sides make sense. We shouldn't give any more attention to a bigoted person, but the series means a lot to a lot of us, beyond its author. For a long time," he continued thoughtfully, "I thought of myself as a wizard, because I couldn't be honest about who I was with my family. Even before I knew what being gay even was, I knew I was different, and I felt a lot like Harry.. who's literally kept in a closet in the first book."

"Same," said Sehun very quietly, and everyone nodded.

Chanyeol sniffed. "I had never thought of it like that, but it makes a lot of sense."

"Excuse me," said Jongdae, extracting himself from the bench, "it seems my boyfriend is having feelings and he needs me." In an instant he was giving Chanyeol a tender back hug. Chanyeol smiled and wiped his eyes sheepishly.

"Sorry, I just have a lot - of feelings, that is."

"Mood," replied Junmyeon, and when both Kyungsoo and Jongdae groaned, he smiled sweetly and added, "And that's periodt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized after writing this that Jongin and Taemin (and Kris and Tao!) are missing but I think I would have literally died if I'd had to keep track of them too 
> 
> such a mess to write all these chaotic stinky boys together 
> 
> I have a bonus summertime chapter planned that involves them all and I'm already exhausted


	102. Chapter 102

"Hello dear," said Hyo-Sonn with a smile as Kyungsoo opened the passenger door and seated himself in her vintage Volkswagen Ghia. "How are you today ?"

"I'm fine, thanks. And thanks for agreeing to drive me to the wedding venue."

"My pleasure. It would be a very expensive Uber ride for a student, and I can understand that you wouldn't want to go yesterday with Baekhyun."

Kyungsoo nodded. "I figured it ought to be only family there. I'd have felt awkward."

"That's sweet of you," Hyo-Sonn patted his knee. "I think you'll be included in those events as well, soon enough, if you care to attend them. I always find them quite boring, but to be fair, I am fairly high-maintenance." Thereupon, she revved up the car's engine and tore out of the driveway at a breakneck pace. Kyungsoo, although he wasn't religious, silently recited a short Hail Mary.

However, Hyo-Sonn's driving was only life threatening as long as they were in town. Once they reached the freeway things smoothed out considerably.

"Do you mind if I put an audiobook on, dear ? I've just started one and it's quite gripping."

"Of course, go ahead."

The audiobook turned out to be about some woman's trip from Geneva to Kabul in 1939, and it was indeed gripping. They listened with bated breath as she and her travel buddy got arrested near Istanbul for taking pictures of what turned out to be a military base. The tape, which Hyo-Sonn had converted from a CD to fit with her car's audio system, cut off right as the commissary was about to decide whether to imprison them or not, and they both shouted at the interruption.

"Glove-compartment, darling, the rest is in there," said Hyo-Sonn, while Kyungsoo fumbled with the vintage compartment.

When they arrived at the vineyard where the wedding was taking place, the two women had reached Tehran and were in the middle of a bitter fight about one of them being addicted to morphine.

"Wow," said Kyungsoo. "I'm going to have to get that book, what a story."

"Isn't it ? I wish I could have met her. What a woman ! Fearless ! She must have been amazing at oral sex." She pulled into a long driveway and changed the topic. "We're early, you may have to wait in the lobby a little. I don't imagine any of the guests are here yet, and I think Yuna may need me to soothe my daughter."

"That's fine," said Kyungsoo. "I figured that would be the case. I'll find a corner and stay out of everyone's way."

The vineyard's main building was a manor that looked out over rolling hills bathed in the late morning sunshine. They parked on its left side and walked into the main hall together, where Hyo-Sonn pointed to three different choice crannies where he might hang out before trailing off up the stairs in her sparkling gown.

"See you later, dear ! I'll send Baekhyun down if he's free."

"Thank you," he called after her and she waved back elegantly. Once alone, he picked one of the nooks and settled down to wait, but a restlessness took over him and after a few moments he rose again, heading out of the hall to explore the vineyard.

Past the small parking lot, a path ran off into a thicket of woods that look delightfully wild. It wound along with no sign of human activity for a few hundred yards, before ending up at a large lawn that was being covered in gilded chairs by employees of the vineyard. He watched from the edge of the wood, then ducked down along another path that circled vaguely around the property. A little further he found a lovely gazebo covered in crawling vines, in the middle of a rose garden. There was no one around so he sat down on its steps to enjoy the scenery.

It was barely a few moments before someone burst out of the bushes to the right of the gazebo and stalked angrily in his direction, apparently unaware of his presence. The person was a middle-aged woman in a Champaign coloured pantsuit, beautiful in a high-school principal way ; the sort that would be very firm on confiscation of contraband and never actually sneak any out herself. She stopped by the side of the gazebo, right out of Kyungsoo's sight, and gave a mighty sniff, a sigh and then fumbled about with something.

He heard her cursing under breath.

"Oh well this is just great," she said, and turning around, caught sight of Kyungsoo. She narrowed her eyes at him and took the unlit cigarette out of her mouth to ask, "have you been here the whole time ?"

"Um - yes, I suppose so."

"Great. Great !" She threw her hands up in the air.

"Are you alright ? You seem upset."

"I'm _fine_ ," she said tremulously, before taking a deep, steadying breath. "Would you happen to have a light ?"

As a matter of sheer coincidence, he did in fact have a lighter on him. Baekhyun had stolen it from Yixing to settle an argument he had with Jongdae about Yixing's belief (or lack thereof) in a dimension of lost objects. He'd then given it to Kyungsoo for safeguarding, naming him the umpire in spite of his protests that he didn't care.

"Here," he handed her the lighter, deciding against telling her the whole story.

"Thank heavens," she replied, lighting her cigarette and taking a long drag, after which she sat down on the steps next to him and sighed again, sounding relieved. "Weddings are so stressful." She took another long drag and let it out slowly, looking at the wall of greenery that surrounded them.

"I take it there are some setbacks ?"

"I can deal with _setbacks_ ," she said fervently. "Although the universe does seem intent on vexing me today. The florist brought the wrong flowers, the caterer apparently forgot that half of our guests wanted salmon, the cake is purple instead of dusty pink and the band just called to tell me that they're going to be an hour late. And now my mother is here, telling me that none of it _matters_ ? And my daughter _agrees_?"

"Oh... You must be Baek- um, Yuna's mother ?"

"That's right," she nodded. "My daughter asked for my help to plan this event, and now the whole family is treating my like a ridiculous entitled _bitch_ for wanting to make sure that everything goes according to plan." She sniffed. "They always do tend to league against me in situations like these. I just want.." She added with a return of tears, "I just want everything to be perfect for my daughter."

"It sounds like a really stressful situation," answered Kyungsoo, wishing very hard that he had anything smarter to say, and also that he were anywhere else in this moment.

"It is stressful. I just want what's best for my children."

"Maybe.. maybe what's best for them is to let _them_... decide what's best ? For them ?" As he spoke, he found himself now wishing he could just be Jongin for a change, and charm people without even lifting a finger. Maybe if he were Jongin, he could get this woman to accept her son as he was. She looked unconvinced, so he added, slowly, "Maybe Yuna thought she wanted everything to be perfect but, now that the day is here, she just wants to be with her family.. calmly.. and cheerfully ? Instead of being stressed out about mistakes."

"You're saying I'm in the wrong here ?" She said sharply, and Kyungsoo shrank a little.

"No, not necessarily.. just that - what matters most is how Yuna feels today ? Rather than six months ago ?"

"Hmm," she pursed her lips and returned her gaze to the trees around them. After some moments, she sighed, defeated. "Maybe you're right. But I wish they wouldn't always make me the bad guy," she added in a small voice. In her vulnerability she reminded Kyungsoo most of Baekhyun, when he was sad or struggling, curled up on the bed and sniffing dejectedly. And, though the memory of how she had refused to come meet him still stung, he couldn't bring himself to hate her.

"It's rough," he said. "My family often treats me like I'm uptight when I just want to be sensible."

"That's exactly how they treat me too," She answered, wiping her eyes.

"I find that meeting them halfway often works wonders. Even just the act of looking for compromise makes them more open to my suggestions."

She nodded slowly. "I'm not very good at compromise."

"Me neither. Unless people are worth it."

"Hmm," She said again, but this time it sounded more thoughtful and less combative. She stayed silent as she smoked her cigarette, and Kyungsoo couldn't think of anything more to say so he didn't speak either. When she was done, she rose and turned to him.

"Well thank you for the light - and the chat. I must be getting back. I'll see you after the ceremony, dear."

And, with the exact same wave as Hyo-Sonn had given him earlier, she left the clearing, leaving Kyungsoo to ponder the strangeness of human existence, and try not to imagine what her expression might be when Baekhyun introduced them officially.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter, as promised.... THE GAZEBO 
> 
> idk why I love this word so much. IT HAS THE BEST LETTERS 
> 
> well I guess it is missing "y" which is just.. the queen of the alphabet.. but gazeboy just sounds like some superhero's sidekick who can look through walls or smth  
> I guess we could do gayzebo lol
> 
> (can you tell i have no idea what I'm doing anymore)(also yeah the end of the wedding arc will be the end of this fic)
> 
> also x2 Yixing does in fact hold the firm belief that there exists a dimension where lost things go, and therefore that there's no point in looking for objects you've lost because they're no longer on this plane of existence. Baekhyun having lost the bet, had to bake Jongdae a cake. He made it as disgusting as possible on purpose, but Jongdae still ate the whole thing, called it delicious, and, to everyone's amazement, didn't get sick.


	103. Chapter 103

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : homophobia

Kyungsoo met Baekhyun in the lobby when he returned some moments later. He hadn't really decided how he felt about meeting his boyfriend's unsupportive yet strangely relatable mother yet, and the best course of action seemed to be simply to let it go and see what happened next. It was nice to find Baekhyun waiting for him in the lobby, looking very dapper in a sleek and silky deep blue suit.

"Grandma told me you were waiting here, but I take it you went exploring ?" He said with a smile and a quick kiss.

Kyungsoo nodded. "How'd you know ?"

"Well, first of all you _weren't_ here when I came down, so that was my first clue. And then Mom came back an hour ago and told us she'd met one of Yuna's friends at the gazebo who had convinced her to chill out a little. I figured that had to be you."

"Did she apologize to Yuna ?"

"Yeah, sort of. They hugged it out and Yuna called you the Byun Wrangler because you manage to talk sense into us."

Kyungsoo laughed at this. "I didn't say much, honestly. She seems like a nice woman."

"Thanks for not hating her," Baekhyun squeezed Kyungsoo's hand. "I would have understood if you had, because it _was_ rude of her not to come meet you the other day, but.." He stopped and chewed his lip, apparently unable to express his thought, so Kyungsoo spoke softly.

"She just wants what's best for her children.. and she's being really dumb about what that is, but it's obvious she loves you guys. I think she'll come round, Baek, I really do."

At that moment, Hyo-Sonn came trailing down the stairs with a serene smile at the two of them. "The ceremony will be starting fairly soon," she said, gesturing at a window to the side that showed the parking lot filling up with cars. Guests in colourful dresses and fancy suits were making their way to the event lawn Kyungsoo had passed earlier.

"How's Yuna ?" Asked Baekhyun, and his grandmother patted his shoulder.

"She's fine, dear. She's getting dressed now, so we should go mingle with the guests and play respectable people."

"I guess we aren't respectable people after all," mouthed Kyungsoo to Baekhyun as they followed Hyo-Sonn out the back to the event lawn, and she turned to wink at him.

"For my part, I'm nothing but a hound dog, darling." And with that, she threw open both doors, caught sight of an old friend and waved her down with enthusiasm. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were introduced and stood listening to the two women reminisce until Baekhyun noticed of one of his cousins, walking to the event lawn with his very pretty and very short wife. They talked pleasantly as they went, and Kyungsoo was delighted that 1. Baekhyun introduced him as his boyfriend, and 2. the cousin and his wife were no less friendly than before.

"That went really well," said Kyungsoo when they had separated once they'd reached the event lawn.

"Of course ! He's always been really cool about stuff. Did you think my family was all bigots ?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I guess, kind of ? I mean, I know your dad is cool, but you have all these issues, I figured the whole family was involved."

"You underestimate my overthinking abilities, my friend."

"Jesus."

"There's dad ! He'll want to say hi to you," said Baekhyun, pulling Kyungsoo towards his father, who seemed genuinely happy to see them both.

"Kyungsoo ! How nice to see you again !"

But there wasn't much more time to say more than a simple greeting and have a quick chat about the drive down in Hyo-Sonn's car, which Mr Byun called Hades' Chariot, before Baekhyun's mother appeared and made a beeline for her husband.

"Darling," she called, "Yuna wants to see you. The ceremony's about to start and she wants five minutes with you - oh." She stopped short, her eyes falling on Kyungsoo. They travelled down to his hand, which was still firmly held by Baekhyun, and then up to her son's face.

"Oh." She repeated. "I -" But she stopped again.

"Mom, this is Kyungsoo. I think you've met him already."

"Yes," she nodded, then she turned her eyes back to Kyungsoo, examining his face. "You aren't .. what I expected."

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at her. "What _did_ you expect ?"

Sensing Baekhyun's baiting tone and the fire in his mother's eyes, Kyungsoo let go of him and stepped towards her, hand held out.

"Mrs Byun, it's nice to officially meet you. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself when we met earlier, that would have been more polite."

She gave him another calculating look then, slowly, shook his hand. "It's alright," she answered, "It wasn't a very regular encounter. I - I think I might owe you an apology as well," she added after a short silence.

To everyone's surprise, Baekhyun's father spoke then, quietly but firmly. "Darling, I think you owe Baekhyun an apology most of all."

She pursed her lips at this and seemed on the verge of arguing, but then Mr Byun put a hand on her shoulder and she relaxed, sighing a little.

"I just - I'm worried. You've chosen a field that is difficult to find work in, on top of your condition, and now you've also chosen a .. lifestyle.. that's controversial. I love you, darling, but I worry that you're making things unnecessarily complicated for yourself. Maybe I shouldn't have let you live with your grandmother."

Kyungsoo winced a little at this. To his relief, he felt Baekhyun draw himself up tall to answer.

"Mom. It's not a choice. It has nothing to do with grandma. It's just who I am, and it's not going to change. Least of all for _convenience_ ! How can you even _say_ that ?"

"Someone has to be sensible," she answered drily, rolling her eyes as she added, "Lord knows your grandma won't."

"Yeah, I get it, Mom. You have issues with grandma. But this has nothing to do with her, and I don't get why you're making your issues with her about me, too. You're the one making things complicated, not me - nor Kyungsoo."

She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again very quickly. She looked back at the vineyard's main building, then at her husband, who was still waiting for her to speak.

"We should get you to Yuna, dear," she said, clearly perturbed, and taking his hand, headed back to see her daughter.

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo watched them go, and once they were out of sight Kyungsoo turned to Baekhyun, who looked like he wasn't quite sure whether to cry or laugh.

"You handled that really well, dude."

"Thanks," said Baekhyun, breathing deeply. When he seemed calmer, he squeezed Kyungsoo's hand lightly. "It helps when you're with me."

"I wonder what she meant when she said she didn't expect me."

"I think she thought you'd be a walking stereotype. Wait till we tell her you're not even gay, that's going to be a whole-ass mindfuck for her."

Kyungsoo shrugged. "I am kinda gay for you though."

To which Baekhyun answered by punching his arm, while absolutely failing to hide the fact that he was grinning like an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been kind of tricky making Baek's mom's homophobia not so much about outright bigotry but like.. misguided and ignorant love ? 
> 
> Cause I think that can be very damaging too, and I wanted to try and bring it up somehow. Sometimes the people who hurt us and ostracize us are the people who think they have our best interests at heart, and that.. that really sucks.  
> In a way it's much more insidious than other forms of intelorance, since it's done out of love - but it still ends up negating and minimizing who we are. 
> 
> So yeah anyway, idk where I was going with this note but, I've said it before and I'll probably say it again - if you need to hear this it's for you : you are seen, you are valid and you are loved just as you are. <3 <3


	104. Chapter 104

From that point on, the wedding was whirl. Baekhyun helped Kyungsoo find his seat next to a middle-aged couple that neither of them had ever seen before, but who introduced each other as Yuna's middle school math and geography teachers. Then Baekhyun left to take his place at the front, as his sister's best man.

They all rose as the piano started softly playing a song Kyungsoo didn't know, and Yuna walked down the aisle on her father's arm. Unfortunately, most of the ceremony was lost on Kyungsoo, because a very old woman in the seat right in front of him kept coughing discretely in her handkerchief and leaning over to her neighbour to comment snidely. He caught her criticizing the wedding dress, the fact that the groom's tie was crooked, the fact that purple flowers were just silly and the gilding of the chairs was "plain tacky".

So he took the next opportunity to accidentally kick her chair hard when changing position, and the old biddy turned to glare at him with all the force of a thousand entitled old women.

Fortunately, any fear for his life was swept away when Baekhyun got up to serenade the newly wed couple, performing _Sugar_ by Maroon Five as though it had been written by Sappho herself, and arranged by Ray Charles. Kyungsoo found himself transported to the first evening he'd heard Baekhyun sing, and remembered how he'd finally noticed the bubble of warmth in his chest whenever their eyes met.

When the song was over, he sat on his chair and savoured the same intense feeling of pride that he got to share any part of Baekhyun's life, even as everyone left the chairs for another part of the lawn where food was being served.

Hyo-Sonn came to find him a little later, when they were milling about the great lawn drinking wine and eat canapés and said, beaming,

"I've been hearing Aunty Kim rant about you for the past five minutes and I must say, darling, that is quite a badge of honour."

"She called Yuna's dress vulgar," Kyungsoo shrugged, "and she said her fiancé - er, husband - looked like the 'big dog from that silly cartoon'."

"I assume she meant Scooby-Doo. She said the same thing at the rehearsal dinner, within the poor boy's hearing," Hyo-Sonn answered, shaking her head. "Fortunately, he has a sense of humour. He offered her some food and said it was Scooby-snacks."

Kyungsoo laughed. "I assume she wasn't pleased."

"Not at _all_ , darling. That was how I knew I liked him. Anyone who dares to piss Aunty Kim off is a person worth knowing, in my book."

Yuna and her husband reappeared at this moment, having just come from the wedding photo-shoot, and they went from guest to guest to say hello and thank you for coming. When they reached the low wall on the edge of the lawn where Hyo-Sonn and Kyungsoo were sitting and sharing a tray of mysterious canapés they'd pilfered from the main table, Yuna dropped down next to them and, stuffing two vol-au-vents in her mouth, exclaimed,

"I'm _starving_! Aunty Kim wouldn't let us go, and then there was nothing left on the table when we finally got to it."

Hyo-Sonn nodded, "I figured that would happen, that's why I saved these."

"You're the best, grandma." Yuna put another canapé in her mouth whole and waved from her husband to Kyungsoo. "This is Kyungsoo, honey, Baekhyun's boyfriend."

He smiled and gave him a friendly handshake. "Hi Kyungsoo, I'm Donghyun. Great to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," answered Kyungsoo, and before he could stop himself he added, "You don't look _at all_ like Scooby Doo."

To his relief, that just made him laugh. Yuna rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Aunty Kim is such a menace. She talked _at_ me for half an hour about the very rude boy we'd invited and how he'd rattled her chair so hard her teeth shook, or something ? I don't even know," she said, resting her cheek on her palm, "But I'm exhausted."

"Sorry about that," Kyungsoo gave her a sheepish smile.

"Why are you apologizing ?"

"He's the rude boy, my love," said Hyo-Sonn, and when Yuna realized what that meant, she gave Kyungsoo an admiring look.

"That was _you_?"

"I kicked her chair cause she said something mean about your dress. Which is really pretty, by the way."

"Aw, Kyungsoo. That's adorable. Thank you for ruining Aunty Kim's afternoon for me !"

"I hope she hasn't ruined _your_ afternoon, though."

"Oh no," Yuna shook her head decisively. "I'm used to her. I'd say mom was much closer to ruining things than Aunty Kim could ever get -" but she stopped suddenly, at a warning glance from Donghyun.

"Really ? She seemed chill when we spoke to her before the ceremony. I mean, she did say some pretty rude stuff, and she ran off in the middle of the conversation, but I didn't get the sense she was angry."

Yuna nodded, then spoke carefully. "No.. no, I think she knows she's in the wrong."

At that point, Baekhyun burst out of the bushes behind them, causing Yuna to jump a foot in the air.

"No practical magic today ?" Grinned Kyungsoo, receiving a quick kiss in greeting from his boyfriend.

"Not without my little helpers."

"He pulled a trick on us during his birthday party," Kyungsoo explained to a curious Hyo-Sonn, Yuna and Donghyun. "Quite literally, he appeared in a puff of smoke right as we were talking about him. I thought it was Judgement Day or something."

"More like Judgement Gay," said Baekhyun and then fist bumped Hyo-Sonn, who looked very pleased with her grandson.

"That makes no sense."

"You make no sense."

"That - that doesn't even -"

To Kyungsoo's relief, Baekhyun and Yuna's dad joined them then with a glass of wine in hand, beaming at his daughter.

"What a lovely ceremony, sweetie," he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek and steal a canapé. "I'm very proud of you. And you, Donghyun ! Welcome to the family."

"He's been part of the family for years," interjected Yuna, and her father smiled at her.

"But now it's official ! The families are united. The kingdoms have been strengthened. We will no longer go to war."

"I thought you got all your dramatic tendencies from your grandma," muttered Kyungsoo to Baekhyun, who shook his head firmly.

"No, Dad has his moments. Usually after a few glasses of wine."

Their low conversation seemed to catch his father's attention, because he turned to them and raised his glass.

"And Kyungsoo, it really is delightful that you're with us today. I'm glad Baekhyun felt comfortable enough to bring you here."

"Thanks, Mr Byun."

"And I think I should apologize for my wife. Oh !" He added suddenly, as though the memory had just returned to him. "Baekhyun, your mother would like to see you."

"Do you need me ?" Asked Kyungsoo.

"No.." Said Baekhyun slowly, "I think I can do this myself. Thanks though," he patted his arm and rose, heading in the direction his father had indicated. Mr Byun slipped into Baekhyun's spot and began fighting with his daughter over the canapés, and Kyungsoo, although he tried to keep an eye on his boyfriend, let himself slip into the delight of what seemed to him like a normal family dynamic, when love and oppenness were the rule. It was so far from his own family that his heart ached a little, but then Yuna put an arm around his shoulders and told a dumb joke, and the bitterness faded as they all laughed together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He has been adopted


	105. Chapter 105

The shadows were lengthening over the lawn and some ushers were gently herding people towards a large barn with its doors thrown open, when Kyungsoo spotted Baekhyun's mother talking to her husband on the lawn. Baekhyun himself, however, was nowhere to be seen and so Kyungsoo went in search of him, dodging a determined looking usher. Having circled the lawn to make sure that he wasn't just hiding in a bush waiting to scare someone, he set off towards along the forested path to the gazebo, and found there exactly who he was looking for.

"Hey Baek," He said softly, looking at his boyfriend who was sitting on the gazebo bench, lost in thought. "Been looking for you," he added and gave him a delicate kiss, sitting down next to him.

"Hey Soo," Baekhyun answered with a smile when they separated. "Are you having a good time ?"

"Overall, one of the better weddings I've been to."

"In spite of my mom ?"

"I actually kind of like her. I feel like we have more in common than she realizes." He paused for a second then added with a grin, "Besides, nothing will ever be worse than my cousin's wedding when I was thirteen. It was outdoors, and because she and her husband are kind of hippies, the theme was "barefoot" - no shoes allowed. You had to surrender them at the door."

"Jesus," muttered Baekhyun.

"It was honestly fun, until it began to rain."

Baekhyun laughed at this. "Oh my god."

"They didn't have a tent, and they decided that the rain was a blessing from Mother Nature, so they went ahead with the ceremony in the downpour. Couldn't hear a thing that was going on, and we almost got hypothermia."

"Okay, you win. Worst wedding ever."

"How was the conversation with your mom ?" Asked Kyungsoo quietly.

"It was -" Baekhyun paused looking for his words. "Really, really good. She said she loves me and she'll try to let go of her need to control my life.. and trust that I know myself, at least."

"Oh Baek.. I'm so glad. That's awesome."

"It is awesome," said Baekhyun slowly. "But I also realized that.. as much as her approval means to me, I think I... don't need it anymore ? I'm - _me_. No matter what. I don't know if that makes sense."

Kyungsoo nodded. "It does make sense."

Baekhyun didn't seem inclined to elaborate further, but he looked happier and calmer than Kyungsoo had ever seen him. He couldn't think of anything of importance to add, so they fell silent in the pleasant evening light, hand in hand on the bench, simply enjoying each other's presence. After a while, Kyungsoo spoke again.

"Hey, great performance by the way. I never really liked Sugar, but you made it.. so beautiful."

"Thanks," Baekhyun smiled, "It's not what I would have picked, but I had fun with it."

Kyungsoo leaned back and looked up at the gazebo's roof, which was covered in crawling ivy. "What song would you have sung, if it had been up to you ?"

"I.. I would have picked a song that says about the same thing as Sugar, but.. more poetic."

"A Hozier song ?"

Baekhyun laughed. "That's a fair assumption, but no, I had something else in mind."

He turned to face Kyungsoo full on and raised a hand to his face. Kyungsoo felt himself blush under the intensity and the tenderness of his gaze. After a few heartbeats, Baekhyun began to sing very quietly.

" _You are... my fire... My one.. desire"_

"Jesus christ."

Baekhyun gripped his shirt passionately.

" _Believe... when I say.._ "

"You're impossible."

" _I want it that way !_ "

"Are you fucking serious right now ?" Groaned Kyungsoo, fighting a smile.

At this, Baekhyun jumped up and belted out, " _TELL ME WHY ?? Ain't nothing but a heartache_ !"

"It's _ain't nothing but a mistake_."

"SING IT KYUNGSOO !"

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, but he sang along with a very invested Baekhyun. When they finished the chorus Baekhyun sat back down next to him and there was a short silence.

"I can't believe you just fucking did that," Kyungsoo shook his head, smiling.

Baekhyun grinned back at him. "It was payback for that time you rick rolled me."

"That was _romantic_."

"So was this ! You _are_ my fire."

"That's corny," replied Kyungsoo, once again unable to stop himself from smiling.

To his surprise, this caused Baekhyun to turn thoughtful. He leaned back on one of the gazebo's pillars and stared off at the park, where the soft grayness of twilight was creeping over leaves and grass. "I know. I'm sorry I'm so bad at saying it without jokes. I'm.. scared of being honest about my feelings."

"I know," Kyungsoo patted his knee, "And it's okay, I don't _need_ you to say anything. I'm just happy to be around you, Baek."

"But I - don't want you to think I'm using you."

"I don't think that. Like, I know we're not quite on the same page in terms of feelings but I'm okay with whatever you need. I really mean that."

"Not on the same page ?"

Kyungsoo shifted. "I mean, I don't want to freak you out, but yeah I'm.."

"Don't say it."

"- Why not ?" Kyungsoo's eyebrows creased and he looked a little upset so Baekhyun hastily added,

"Because I want to tell you how I feel - first. Without prompting. I used to find the thought of doing that terrifying but.. you make me feel stronger. Every day we've spent together has made me braver and has made me realize too, .. how crazy I am about you. I want you to know that I _can_ do it. I can tell you how I really feel, even if it.. scares me."

Silence fell over them again. The sounds of mirth were coming from the main event hall, but the gazebo was quiet. A light evening breeze started up, and they still didn't move, held in place by the weight of everything unsaid. Then, after an eternity, Baekhyun spoke, quietly but clearly.

"I love you."

"You ... _love_ me ?"

"I love you," Baekhyun repeated, his voice stronger. "I've wanted to say it for a while now."

The tension broke all of a sudden and Kyungsoo began to laugh from the sheer delight of those beautiful words. There were tears in his voice as well, and he surged forward to kiss Baekhyun, letting out the feelings that he'd been holding in for so long.

"I love you too, oh my god. So, so much."

Baekhyun began to laugh as well, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo and kissing him back, messy and ecstatic.

"You make me so happy," said Kyungsoo, sniffing hard. "And brave, too. I just.. I _fucking_ love you."

"How romantic," Baekhyun laughed again. "I fucking love you too."

"Kiss me some more," Kyungsoo pulled at his collar and Baekhyun leaned in, unable to stop himself from smiling.

"You got it," He said against his boyfriend's lips. "Uh-huh, 10-4 good sir." When Kyungsoo groaned, he continued, "affirmative, we have - made contact, uh-uh.. Sorry, do you want me to shut up ?"

"I mean," Kyungsoo shrugged between kisses, "clearly you're - an excellent - multitasker."

"I _can_ \- do several - things at once."

"Wish you'd focus on doing me right now."

Baekhyun ran a hand seductively up Kyungsoo's thigh, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'll have to check with headquarters if that's an appropriate course of action."

"Nothing about what I'm going to do to _you_ is appropriate."

"Sounds festive."

Kyungsoo sat back, laughing. "You're impossible."

"And yet," Baekhyun grinned at him, "You _love_ me."

He softened immediately. "I do. I love you, Baek."

Baekhyun's voice softened too, and he brushed a strand of hair off the other's forehead. "I love you too, Soo."

*THE END*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I fuckin finished this ??? Do not go look at my profile page cause it is FULL of unfinished works ok  
> ig it's the power of BaekSoo
> 
> But seriously thank you for reading and kudoing and commenting... every single hit has meant so much to me, and you've all been so so sweet. I've loved reading every single one of your comments and I'm so grateful that anyone enjoyed this fic  
> I started it just as a dumb thing to take my mind off... basically everything... and I'm really glad it could provide some distraction to some of you as well <3 
> 
> Tbh I was getting lowkey burnt out and I needed it to end somewhere I was still satisfied with. 
> 
> There WILL be a bonus chapter coming next week, but after that I'll be done. 
> 
> So see you next week for the last glimpse of these stinky boys 
> 
> and as always, don't do anything Jongdae would do


	106. Chapter 106

_Nine months earlier_

"Is this seat taken ?" An unknown voice asked, cutting through Kyungsoo's daydream. He'd been staring out the window, and blinked a couple times at the person standing by his table. The guy was wearing a leather jacket (a sure sign of a hooligan), and his dark red hair was blow-dried up and out of his face, which had a look about it that Kyungsoo was instantly suspicious of.

"Yes," he answered immediately, hoping the dude would leave. He was way too handsome not to be trouble, and Kyungsoo wasn't ready to deal with that.

The pair of perfect eyebrows went up and Kyungsoo felt himself scowl in spite of himself. How could one person be so pretty ? To his increasing annoyance, the guy put a hand on the table and leaned forward, grinning seductively.

"Is that true or are you trying to get rid of me, hot stuff ?"

"Yes," repeated Kyungsoo shortly. Oh, this was going to be terrible, he just knew.

The guy laughed at this reply, and sauntered over to the table right in front of Kyungsoo's, which was unfortunately empty. "Fair enough. I'll give you some space.. for now," he added with a wink.

"Jesus fucking Christ," mumbled Kyungsoo under his breath.

"I'm Baekhyun by the way," said the guy, sitting in his chair at an angle so that he could still face Kyungsoo.

"Okay."

"What's your name ?"

To avoid looking at him, Kyungsoo turned to his bag and began pulling out his notebook, pretending that he hadn't heard the question.

"I'll have to keep calling you hot stuff if you don't tell me, sweetie."

"You don't have to call me anything since we're not friends."

"What if there's a group project for this class ?"

_Heaven forbid._ "... If I tell you, you'll leave me alone ?"

"Pinkie promise," grinned Baekhyun.

"I'm Kyungsoo," said Kyungsoo, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Oh, good name. You know that's actually a word in Swedish, too ?"

In spite of himself, Kyungsoo's curiosity was piqued. He looked up. "Really ?"

"Yeah. Means 'hot stuff'," said Baekhyun with an eyebrow wiggle before turning to face the front of the classroom, leaving Kyungsoo to combust with rage and embarrassment, and also a very faint degree of arousal, because he was damned if that wasn't a sexy villainous eyebrow wiggle.

_**_

_The week after the wedding_

"This feels weird," said Junmyeon, shifting in his seat. Next to him, Yifan laid a comforting arm across his shoulders.

"Relax, baby."

Yixing smiled from across the table. "I guess it is a little weird, in a way. It's definitely the first time I've been on a date with a couple. But I love that you guys wanted to take me out to breakfast."

The quiet enthusiasm in his voice seemed to put Junmyeon a little more at ease. There were pancakes and waffles, and a huge plate of bacon for Yifan who had gotten into lifting and said he wanted protein.

"So can I ask you guys something ?" Said Yixing after a short silence.

"Of course," answered Junmyeon hastily.

"How do you see this going ? I mean, how do you picture us.. fitting together ?"

"Um -"

"To be honest," said Yifan slowly, "I don't really know ? I just feel like spending time with you is really awesome. That night when we - were together, all three of us.. I felt connected to both of you, not just Junmyeon. In a special way."

Yixing nodded and turned his eyes to Junmyeon, who blushed faintly.

"For me as well, it wasn't just.. sexual. I've been attracted to you ever since we met but it wasn't really physical until you walked in on us." He took a deep breath and added, "I don't even know what really happened.. I usually find it difficult to enjoy intimacy like that with people I don't know well."

"Are you demi ?" Asked Yixing lightly.

"Demi ?"

"Demisexual. That's when you don't feel sexual attraction for people unless you have a pre-existing bond."

Junmyeon looked stunned. "That's - that's exactly right. I never realized that even - _existed._ "

"So you feel bonded to me ?"

"I don't know.. kind of ?" He answered, biting his lip. "You've just always been so accepting, so open about your feelings - and kind. I think it would be hard not to feel a bond with you."

Yixing nodded and took a big bite of pancakes.

"For my part," grinned Yifan, "the night we met was the night we had sex, so it's safe to say I'm _not_ demisexual. But I do feel like this could be more than sex - if you want it to be. Basically, that's what we talked about between us," he gestured from himself to Junmyeon, "- we have no idea how this might go but we both really like you.. so it's up to you."

They both watched anxiously as Yixing finished his mouthful and took a sip of coffee. He then cleared his throat.

"I guess it's my turn to be honest." He gave them both a serious look before speaking. "I'd be pretty bummed if I had to choose between your delicious ass," he nodded at Junmyeon, who blushed, and then turned to Yifan, "and your gigantic hands."

They both seemed to deflate from relief and Yixing laughed at them. "You guys are adorable," he smiled. "I'm excited to figure out whatever the fuck this is."

**

_Two or so weeks after the wedding_

"Got you a birthday present," said Kyungsoo out of the blue one day as they ate burritos on a camping table by their favourite Mexican food truck.

"Aww, dude," Baekhyun smiled, "My birthday was last months."

"Yeah, and I didn't get you anything cause I can never think of gifts on time." He fished around in his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "I got the idea after the party but it took a while for it to be ready."

"Is it a wad of cash ?"

"Of course it's not a wad of cash," Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

"Shame," grinned Baekhyun, "I could do with a sugar daddy."

"You're older than me."

"Sugar daddies aren't about age !" Said Baekhyun, then shook his head at himself, "Sorry, I'll stop interrupting. Please give me my present now."

But Kyungsoo hesitated. ".. It's kind of lame."

"What ?"

"I just - I should have gotten you something better. I though it would be cute but you're going to hate it, but you won't want to show me you hate it so you'll say it's fine - you know what, never mind," he hastily put the envelope back in his jacket pocket.

"Jesus, Kyungsoo," Baekhyun reached across the table to hold his boyfriend's face in both hands. "Chill, okay ? I was just joking about wads of cash and sugar daddies."

".. Okay." Kyungsoo bit his lip. "Still.."

"Still, nothing. I'll love whatever it is because it's from _you,_ and - and I - love you. So. Logic. Checkmate. Whatever," he shrugged with a blush.

Kyungsoo laughed. "I love that you can't say it without getting embarrassed, you absolute dork."

"Shut up and give me my birthday present."

"Fine," said Kyungsoo and with a lingering smile, he pulled the envelope out of his jacket and gave it to Baekhyun, who read the note on the back out loud :

" _For Baekhyun, because you make every day feel like it's spring_. Awww, dude.. thank you. And how did you know I've been thinking about buying an envelope for weeks ?"

Kyungsoo kicked him gently under the table. "Just open it, you dumbass."

Baekhyun's eyes widened as he pulled out a clear sheet of plastic encasing one dried up primrose. "This is.. a flower ?"

"Remember that day you gave me a bouquet of primroses and invited me over to your house for coffee, and I told you to fuck off ?"

"You didn't tell me anything. You were so horny for it you couldn't even speak. I remember leaving you there on that sidewalk looking like you were going to fucking _maul_ me. It was hot," he added before Kyungsoo could say anything, "I jacked off like, as soon as I got home."

"Anyway," said Kyungsoo loudly, "That's one of the primroses you gave me that day. I pressed it and made it into a bookmark since you're always reading philosophy stuff, so it's useful as well as cute - hopefully."

"Wow," whispered Baekhyun, examining the bookmark. "This is - so lovely. I can't believe you did this."

"It's basically nothing," shrugged Kyungsoo, blushing.

"Are you kidding ? You might not have spent money on it but.. I don't even know how to say this. Like.. you remember all the small moments ? It's like everything we do matters to you and that makes me feel.. so, so loved."

"Good," said Kyungsoo thickly. "Cause I fucking love you."

"Dude," Baekhyun looked like he was getting choked up too, "I fucking love you too."

**

_Some time that summer_

"Hang on, is - is Taemin's place an actual mansion ?" Asked Baekhyun in awe as they drove up a long driveway towards a large house.

"Oh yeah," answered Jongin easily from the steering wheel. "His dad invented toaster strudel or something ? They have an _estate._ "

"Are those donkeys ?" Chanyeol asked, pointing out the window to a field where equine figures were ambling about in the summer heat.

"Yeah, his parents run a donkey rescue."

"A donkey _rescue_?" Repeated the whole car in disbelief. This included Jongdae and Kyungsoo and also Sehun, who had fallen asleep with his mouth open and mysteriously jerked awake at the word _donkey_.

Jongin nodded. "Yeah, it's actually kind of heart-breaking - but like, you know how people go for donkey rides up in the hills and everything ? Basically those donkeys are often treated pretty poorly. So Taemin's mom and dad run a non-profit that rescues donkeys from those situations. His mom is a lawyer and she sometimes takes people to court over this, and his dad takes care of the donkey ranch. He told me about one donkey he rescued that had an issue with its hoof and like, it was kept in a tiny dark stable all day because it couldn't have people on its back cause it hurt."

"Oh my god," said Chanyeol, "Those _poor_ donkeys."

Jongdae squeezed his hand comfortingly. "I never realized that could happen."

Jongin parked the car in front of the giant house and honked twice. As they were pouring out of the vehicle and grabbing bags from the trunk, the front door opened and Taemin came bouncing out, closely followed by Tao. They were both wearing flower crowns and Tao had on a long flowy kimono dress.

"Hi everyone," called Taemin before rushing into Jongin's arms.

"You look adorable with the flower crown, Taemin," said Baekhyun. "You too, Tao."

"Hey love," said Sehun, yawning and stretching before giving his partner a kiss. "You do look adorable, as always."

"Nonsense," replied Tao, blushing.

They all followed Taemin into the house for a tour, and fortunately bedrooms were pre-assigned which avoided, in Kyungsoo's opinion, a lot of unnecessary fighting between Baekhyun and Jongdae.

"I put you guys in the tower," said Taemin as he led Baekhyun and Kyungsoo up a flight of stairs to a small circular room panelled with wood painted a rustic white and strung about with fairy lights.

"Watch out for ghosts !" Called Jongdae from the foot of the stairs, so Baekhyun threw his slipper at him.

"This is amazing," said Kyungsoo. The room's ceiling was low but it just made everything cosier.

"Yeah, thanks so much for having us over, Taemin."

"It's my pleasure. I'll let you guys settle in." As he descended the stairs he added, "Join us by the pool whenever you're ready."

Baekhyun flopped onto the bed and Kyungsoo followed with a happy sigh. "This is so _nice_ , I feel like we're at a hotel."

From the open window came the sound of another car pulling up. Baekhyun bounced up and leaned out to watch.

"That's Myeon and his hoes," he announced, then added, "This place is _amazing._ There's a fucking gazebo."

"Oh cool !" Said Kyungsoo, joining him at the window. There was indeed a gazebo across from a natural lake, half-hidden by a copse of trees.

"You know," Baekhyun turned to a him with a serious look, "I'm counting on you to fuck the brains out of me in that gazebo since we never got to do it at the vineyard."

"Well, I'd hate to disappoint you."

Baekhyun looked like he was about to comment, but he was distracted by the natural lake. "Is _that_ the swimming pool ?" He asked, pointing to one end of the body of water. It was separated from the lake by a low wall and reeds on the wild side, while the shallower side looked clearer and sandier.

"Looks like it." Kyungsoo squinted in that direction.

As they looked out over the landscape, they heard Taemin welcome Junmyeon, Yixing and Yifan. Minseok and Luhan soon followed in their own car, and Baekhyun waved at them excitedly from the tower window.

"I could be eating you out and they'd never know," said Kyungsoo offhandedly, taking his boyfriend by surprise.

"Oh my god, Soo -"

Kyungsoo shrugged. "It can wait for later. Hey, I think it _is_ a swimming pool." He pointed at Jongdae who was examining the water in his swimming trunks. They watched him poke around and dip a toe in only to retreat. Taemin and Jongin joined him, laughing, and they began to talk about something.

While they were talking, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun watched Chanyeol creep out of the house unnoticed, then go from bush to bush until he had a direct line of attack to his boyfriend.

"Is he gonna -"

Before Baekhyun could finish his question, Chanyeol burst of his hiding place and rushed Jongdae with an unholy yell, grabbing him bodily by the waist and leaping into the lake, while Jongdae screamed at the top of his lungs.

Jongin and Taemin collapsed on the ground laughing and Chanyeol emerged from the water, looking like an overexcited golden retriever.

They heard Jongdae yell "PARK FUCKING CHANYEOL -" as he emerged too.

"Let's go dunk Jongdae in the water !" Said Baekhyun excitedly, and Kyungsoo could only agree. They changed quickly into swimming trunks and ran down to join the fun.

Jongdae got dunked repeatedly during the course of that week at Taemin's estate. He yelled a lot about it, but Chanyeol invariably soothed him with promises of barbecues and smores.

There were indeed smores over the fire pit, and a memorable barbecue where the meat blew off the grill and they had to get some more from the body freezer in Taemin's garage (so called by Baekhyun because, according to him it was the sort of freezer where one could hide a body).

There were also late mornings and ridiculous games of scrabble, lots of beer and one night where they crept down to the gazebo while everyone slept so that Baekhyun could fulfil his fantasy of getting railed in a gazebo. He later pronounced it "absolutely excellent" and Tao said that they were glad to find out it was just Baekhyun and Kyungsoo being animals, because they'd actually been awake the whole time and thought it was coyotes.

One day, Junmyeon got lost while walking in the woods above the ranch, and they had to set out in a frantic search party as night fell. They found him asleep by a tree's large roots which, according to Taemin, were prime real estate for rattlesnakes. Junmyeon blanched and leapt away from the tree roots into Yixing's arms. When they got home, Yifan hugged him hard enough to break his spine, called him an idiot and pulled them both up to their room. Jongdae wisely suggested they do karaoke.

There was even one summer storm towards the end of that perfect week. They gathered on the front porch and watched the rain lash down on the hills. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, causing Baekhyun to cringe a little each time. Kyungsoo hugged him closer, and Jongdae, who knew that Baekhyun was forever traumatized by a fateful remake of War of the Worlds, joined them on the couch. Chanyeol followed, then Minseok and Sehun, and eventually Taemin's gigantic couch turned into a cuddle pile with Baekhyun at its centre.

"This was pretty much the best week ever," said Baekhyun quietly on their last day as they were enjoying a late breakfast on the patio.

"Agreed," Tao nodded.

"It was - like I always thought summer should be, when I was growing up," added Kyungsoo. "Thank you so much for having us, Taemin."

"Thank you guys for coming," smiled their host, "It's been so much fun."

"What are you guys planning for the rest of the summer ?" Asked Jongin.

"We're going to Chanyeol's parents' place for a bit," replied Jongdae. "And then just - basically hang out."

"Same," said Kyungsoo. "Except without going to Chanyeol's parents place. We might see my mom."

Baekhyun yawned over his cup of coffee. "I wish we could travel to like - Kyrgyzstan or something. But that'll have to wait until we have disposable income."

"Your first thought for a holiday destination is Kyrgyzstan ?"

"It looks really pretty on Google Streetview," shrugged Baekhyun.

"Well," said Minseok, putting an arm around Luhan's shoulder. "I _do_ have a bit of a disposable income, but I have no time with all the thesis shit."

"Do you know what you'll do next year, since you'll be done with your PhD ?"

"Look for a postdoc. I have a few leads," he answered easily. "I'd like to take a real holiday first, though. This is the first time I've relaxed in _ages_. PhD work is hard."

"No kidding.. I'm starting applying to PhD programs next year," said Jongin with a shudder, "and even just the application process looks like a nightmare. But I'm excited to continue my research."

"Are you going to do a PhD as well ?" Baekhyun asked, quietly turning to look at his boyfriend.

"I have no idea," replied Kyungsoo. "I'd like to, in the long run, but I haven't even finished my bachelor's yet."

Baekhyun nodded, but his eyebrows were creased so Kyungsoo took his hand and squeezed it. "No matter what happens next, I'm excited to figure all this adult shit out with you."

He seemed to relax a little at this, and Kyungsoo leaned over to kiss him lightly.

"Get a fuckin room," called Jongdae from the foot of the table. Kyungsoo felt entirely justified in throwing him a cold piece of toast, which Jongdae caught, to everyone's amazement, with his mouth.

*

The End

(for real this time)

probably

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a lovely summer everyone, I love yall <3


End file.
